Every Rose Has Its Thorn -- Well, This One Does.

The "Rose Revolution" took place in the Republic of Georgia, formerly part of the Soviet Union. It was one of those "people power" uprisings cited here as evidence that democracy was on the march. But now the leader of that rosy revolt has pulled a Musharraf and declared a state of emergency, complaining that Russian agents were planning a coup against him. There followed the usual tsk-tsking from the U.S., but if anything it'll be less sincere than the complaints addressed to Pakistan. The Bush Administration seems opposed to Russia having a sphere of influence, so as long as Mr. Saakashvili is hostile to Russia we're likely to stick with him, if only to spite Vladimir Putin. The latest word is that Saakashvili has called snap elections, which leaves us wondering what he'll do if "people power" protests against the outcome, not to mention what the U.S. will say about it.