One of the more annoying moments during the first U.S. presidential debate was when the subject of Russia and its recent skirmish with Georgia came up. Both McCain and Obama, without qualification, upbraided big bad Russia as the aggressor, saying NATO and the United States had to be ready to get tough. They allowed no nuance to shade their characterization of the conflict—such as maybe, just maybe, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili shouldn’t have invited the inevitable attack by a vastly more powerful foe by moving troops into an area that’s been functionally autonomous since 1992. Rather, they both gave the orthodox Washington view of events. So much for mavericky change we can believe in.

Russia’s intervention was hardly so noble as its own media played it, while the Georgian government is far from the blameless victim. And NATO just looks foolish, encouraging Saakashvili and the Georgians with thoughts of future membership, when it lacks both the political will and the military wherewithal to come to the country’s defence.

The current foray into Russia-bashing is laughable in light of this week’s news: soon American astronauts will need to bum a lift into space from… the Russians! NASA is scheduled to terminate the space shuttle program in 2010, but it will be at least another five years before the next generation of American spacecraft is ready. During that gap, NASA will be dependent on Russian Soyuz spacecraft if they want to get anyone to the International Space Station.

Actually, NASA won’t be bumming a ride. They will have to pay for a seat on Russian space flights, just like those crazy-rich astro-tourists do. From the New York Times:

The administrator of NASA, Michael D. Griffin, has called the situation “unseemly in the extreme.” In an e-mail message he sent to his top advisers in August, Dr. Griffin wrote that “events have unfolded in a way that makes it clear how unwise it was for the U.S. to adopt a policy of deliberate dependence on another power.”

Dr. Griffin is worried enough that he ordered his staff to explore flying the aging shuttles past 2010. He did so, he said in an interview last month, “about five minutes after the Russians invaded Georgia, because I could see this coming.” But he warned that any extension would be costly and could further delay NASA’s return to the Moon and threaten America’s role as the leading space power.

Oh Cosmonaut, can you spare a ride?