[NATO's goal is] to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.

– Lord Ismay, first NATO Secretary-General

We should immediately call a meeting of the North Atlantic Council to assess Georgia’s security and review measures NATO can take to contribute to stabilizing this very dangerous situation.

– Sen. John McCain, (August 8, 2008)

If we would have preemptively worked with Russia, with Georgia, making sure that NATO had the kind of ability and the presence and the engagement, we could have perhaps avoided this [the invasion of S. Ossetia by Georgia and the subsequent Russian response].

– Tom Daschle, …

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