Like scalded dogs, as some would say, Russia began fleeing the field when American forces arrived to give our Georgian allies some much needed (and disgustingly late) humanitarian aid. The Russian forces’ retreat came on the tail of some very tough talk from President Bush:

BREAKING NEWS — Georgia’s Interior Ministry says Russian troops have begun pulling out of the city of Gori, where their presence raised fears that Russia would challenge a cease-fire agreement.

Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said Thursday that Russian troops have also left Poti, a Black Sea port city with an oil terminal that is a key part of Georgia’s fragile economic health.

Russian troops entered Gori on Wednesday. The city is about 15 miles south of South Ossetia, the separatist Georgian region where Russian and Georgian forces fought a brutal five-day battle.

The entry into Gori came hours after both sides signed a cease-fire agreement that called for their forces to be pulled back to the positions they held before the fighting started a week ago.

The first C-17 plane carrying humanitarian supplies arrived Wednesday in Tbilisi, Georgia, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said. Another is scheduled to arrive on Thursday with additional supplies.

Also Wednesday, President Bush said he is skeptical that Moscow is honoring a cease-fire in neighboring Georgia, demanding that Russia end military activities in the former Soviet republic and withdraw its forces.

Bush, who pushed back his upcoming vacation to monitor the situation in Georgia, said Russia must ensure that “all lines of communication and transport, including seaports, roads and airports,” remain open to deliveries and civilians.

“The United States stands with the democratically elected government of Georgia and insists that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia be respected,” Bush said during brief but stern remarks in the White House Rose Garden.

A little late but that’s the kind of Presidential action I like to see.