Extraordinary rendition, the sexual humiliation of prisoners, waterboarding. The tactics adopted by the Bush administration in its shadowy war on terror raised the obvious question: "Who are they to judge?"

Now, our condemnation of the Russian invasion of Georgia is likely to elicit a similar response.

President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, the authors of "shock and awe," the guys who were crammed into a phone booth with their fraternity buddies the day they taught diplomacy, are pointing fingers. And it simply sounds ridiculous coming from the biggest bullies on the block.

Bush condemned the invasion, and accused Russia of attempting to institute regime change. Kind of like what we did in Afghanistan and Iraq, huh?

Cheney issued the predictable saber-rattling response: "Russian aggression must not go unanswered." As if, for the sake of argument, our overextended military could scrape together as much as a combat brigade to intervene. As if enough Americans haven't already died on distant battlefields.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been working the phones, trying in vain to convince Russia to accept a ceasefire. But statesmanship is no longer our strong suit, and her failure is emblematic of the new world order: A diplomatically impotent United States, weakened by seven years of a misguided, militant foreign policy, unable to bring people together, or pressure to bear.

It's obvious what needs to happen in Georgia and its breakaway provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia - an immediate ceasefire, the introduction of neutral peace-keeping forces, international mediation, a Russian withdrawal. And it's obvious that we're not the ones to get it done.

It's also obvious that Bush and Cheney, with five months to serve, have nothing new to say. An essential goal of our next president must be to improve the moral standing of the United States in international affairs, to strengthen our Foreign Service - we've been stuck on 6,500 diplomats since 2004 - and give statesmanship a chance.

There was a time when our country had the moral authority to pass judgment on others, and the international esteem and the diplomatic chops to bring about positive change. But no longer. Our diplomatic capital has all been spent.