The US has been training Georgia troops:
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jjCNfv_hN7dzfcaXwielvnLpfRrAThe question is whether the US knew about Georgia's surprise offensive, which led to the current conflict? Of course, given the close military relationship between Georgia and the US, how could the U.S. not know that Georgia was going to attack the province?
Also, how did Georgia and the US not know that Russia would counter-attack? In this 2006 article, the BBC explained:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5393106.stm/snip
Are Georgia and Russia heading for war?
Belligerent rhetoric has come from both sides and a local flare-up is always possible, but full-scale war seems unlikely.
Georgia does not want to spoil its chances of joining Nato, and conflict would certainly undermine that bid. Nato members do not want to get sucked into a Caucasus conflict.
Russia has key energy interests in the Caspian region and wants to avoid another costly round of fighting in Chechnya - so fighting in Georgia could impact on those ambitions too.
But Russia has warned it will retaliate if Georgia uses force against its breakaway regions. It has accused Georgia of preparing to invade Abkhazia, and says it is boosting Russian forces there and in the South Ossetia region.
/snip
Yet, despite all this fore knowledge, and the U.S. tight relationship with Georgia's military, Georgia decided to launch a surprise attack:
http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/horoscopes/1099490,CST-NWS-Georgia10.article/snip
South Ossetia is claimed by Georgia, the former Soviet republic that cast its lot with the United States and the West to the eternal irritation of Moscow. The breakaway province has been under Russia's sway for years.
On Friday Russia dispatched an armored column into the breakaway enclave after Georgia, launched a surprise offensive to crush separatists. Georgia sits in a tough neighborhood, shoulder to shoulder with huge Russia, not far from Iran, and astride one of the most important crossroads for the emerging wealth of the rich Caspian Sea region. A U.S.-backed oil pipeline runs through Georgia, allowing the West to reduce its reliance on Middle Eastern oil while bypassing Russia and Iran.
/snip
Finally, remember Charlie Black, McCain's Chief Strategist, saying that McCain would benefit from a terrorist attack:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/23/AR2008062301979.html/snip
A top adviser to Sen. John McCain said that a terrorist attack in the United States would be a political benefit to the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, a comment that was immediately disputed by the candidate and denounced by his Democratic rival.
Charles R. Black Jr., one of McCain's most senior political advisers, said in an interview with Fortune magazine that a fresh terrorist attack "certainly would be a big advantage to him." He also said that the December assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto, while "unfortunate," helped McCain win the Republican primary by focusing attention on national security.
/snip
Well, it turns out that one of McCain's close advisors is a lobbyist for Georgia:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/08/10/mccain_aides_georgian_ties_bec.html?hpid=topnews/snip
The presidential campaign veered Sunday into a discussion about the escalating conflict between Georgia and Russia, with a supporter of Sen. Barack Obama suggesting that Sen. John McCain's criticism of Russia stems from his campaign's connections to Georgian political leadership.
"His campaign is run by lobbyists that represent Georgia and other countries," New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) said on ABC's "This Week," a clear reference to Randy Scheunemann, McCain's foreign policy adviser, who has been a registered lobbyist in Washington for the Tbilisi government. /snip
Of course, the McCain campaign is arguing that his proposal to isolate Russia is correct! Yup, the U.S.'s past practice of isolating Iraq, North Korea, and Iran have proven so successful in the past, why not isolate a former superpower, and give an ally a green light to start a war that the U.S. gets dragged into. Indeed, is this a preview of a possible US encouraged Israeli attack on Iran with the U.S. looking the other way? Could this be why Israel agreed to Russia's demand to stop supplying arms to Georgia, because Russia threatened to support Iran in such an attack?