Will Saakashvili be a casualty of his own tactics?

TBILISI, Georgia -- With his country trounced and still occupied by Russian troops, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili's own political future might soon be called into question, opposition figures say.Three days after the president reluctantly signed a peace truce to end a bloody conflict with Russia, there are grumblings about the wisdom of Saakashvili's decision to pick a fight with his mighty neighbor.With concerns mounting that Georgia's economy will be in tatters once Russian troops leave, some say the 40-year-old president must publicly account for his Aug. 8 military offensive in the tiny rebel republic of South Ossetia.The Georgian strike sparked a swift and overwhelming response from Russia, which reclaimed South Ossetia in no time, then pushed farther into Georgia proper."Neither he, nor his government, are competent," said Temur Koridze, a member of former Georgian President Zviad Gamsakhurdia's government in the early 1990s.Koridze and other government critics say Saakashvili should have predicted Russia's crushing response, or at the very least, obtained backup assurances from European and U.S. allies before going in.They say the failed offensive underscores the danger of Georgia's aggressive push to adopt Western values and seek membership in NATO. Both initiatives have long angered Russia."We need sound and sane authority," Koridze said. "(Saakashvili), as a commander in chief, is a loser. His policy has collapsed."One European minister who was in Tbilisi this week during a round of diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting, said doubts are rising about Saakashvili's judgment within his own government. The minister declined to speak on the record.However, other opposition leaders, who have strongly criticized Saakashvili in the past, have remained silent during this conflict, saying this isn't the time to stoke divisions. They believe that carping at the government is playing into Russia's hands.Tbilisi newspaper editor Zaza Gachechiladze added, "Once the Russians are gone, (the criticism) will start." Gachechiladze said Russia plans to destroy vast swaths of infrastructure before it vacates Georgian soil, leaving the economy in ruins, further stoking internal dissension.Indeed, Georgia's failed military offensive to reclaim South Ossetia has nearly crippled the already impoverished country. Despite a peace truce signed on Friday, Russian troops are still occupying the strategically important city of Gori, which lies on Georgia's main east-west highway, effectively dividing the country in half.Russian jets have bombed military bases, ports and radar installations in Georgia over the past nine days.On Saturday, Russian troops blew up a railway bridge, Georgian officials say, further severing transportation links in the country."One day of railway stoppage will have its effect on the Georgian economy, but more so on the delivery of humanitarian aid," the Georgian deputy minister of foreign affairs told reporters on Saturday.Eka Zguladze said Russian forces set forest fires on Saturday, which could destroy power and phone lines."Of course, the fires are causing panic in the local population," she said.Gachechiladze said Georgians also will soon demand answers from the military.Despite daily media briefing from scores of Georgian officials, there has been no sign of any military leaders. "Does Georgia even have an army?" Gachechiladze asked.Gachechiladze, who edits an English-language daily, said two of his reporters were killed last week in Tskhinvali.Valeri Kvaratskhelia, a member of former President Eduard Shevardnadze's government, said Saakashvili must apologize to South Ossetians and Georgians, then resign.A new leader must then begin diplomatic negotiations with South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another breakaway republic on Georgia's Black Sea coast, he said. "(The offensive) wasn't just a mistake," Kvaratskhelia said. "It was a crime." Georgia's opposition is notoriously fragmented, with scores of voices that have never been able to unite to mount an effective challenge on Saakashvili.The president came to power in 2004 after a peaceful, pro-democracy movement. Saakashvili was re-elected last January in an election that many detractors say was rigged. International observers concluded there were some irregularities, but overall the ballot was fair.However, other Georgian analysts have defended the charismatic and emotive young president, saying Russia has been needling Georgia for years by encouraging ties with South Ossetia and Abkhazia.(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)