Russia vs. Georgia

Can't say this whole deal isn't very troubling. However, it's also hard to figure out exactly what in the hell is going on too.

Here's what I think I know:
1. Georgia invaded a section of their country that was considered an allied area of the Russians.
2. Russia retaliated (Honestly, can't blame them)
3. The U.S. disagrees with the way in which Russia goes about retaliation and immediately sides with Georgia.

What I'm not clear on is who is the aggressor here? Is it Georgia or is it Russia. Is the fact that the U.S. sided with Georgia the reason why Russia has so much dismay with us?

While I object to both Georgia and Russia's actions, you certainly can't blame Russia for fighting back and defending the innocent if Georgia is indeed at fault. Therefore, I'm not sure what the U.S. Government is up to. What's fact and what's propaganda here?

Does the oil line running through Georgia have anything to do with the U.S.'s interest? Does the oil line running through Georgia have anything to do with why Russia has a problem with Georgia?

Here's what I believe. George Washington, the father of our country, said that it would serve the best interest of America if we simply worried about America and did not involve ourselves in the affairs of other countries. I certainly can't blame him for saying this and aside from doing everything in our power to defend our country I think he's absolutely right. The only rub to Mr. Washington's insight is the changed scope of our world. In Mr. Washington's day the world was a much bigger place. Now, the world is at your fingertips. Thanks to the media and the Internet, access to places like Moscow are instant. It's a tough call, I honestly think we should worry about self-dependency and rely less on foreign countries for our resources. These countries are so volatile and temper mental while traditionally we as Americans are anything but volatile. We want to live our lives in peace and harmony yet we rely on such non-harmonious countries. It's seems our economy should mirror our lifestyle. Sometimes it seems like we should get back to basics, support our own economy first and work towards self dependence while doing everyting in our power to following Mr. Washington's advice.