President Bush is accusing Russia of "bullying and intimidation" against Georgia, saying that the people in the former Soviet republic chose freedom and "we will not cast them aside." Bush, preparing to travel to his Texas ranch, said in a statement on the White House grounds this morning that he will keep in close touch with both Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice amid the continuing showdown between Moscow and Tbilisi over two separatist provinces in Georgia.

Jonathan Marcus, Diplomatic Correspondent BBC News