Georgians ask questions of leader after losses

By Margarita Antidze and Niko Mchedishvili

TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgians are rallying behind the country in its conflict with Russia but voices of dissent are being raised against President Mikheil Saakashvili for taking Tbilisi into a war it could never win.

Saakashvili came to power in 2003 on a promise to reunite the country by reining in separatists in South Ossetia and Abkhazia and steering Georgia towards membership of NATO.

The two regions threw off Georgian rule in wars in the early 1990s and declared independence. No state has recognised them, though Russia has given political and financial support.

But there is a growing sense in Tbilisi that Saakashvili, who sent in troops to retake the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali by force last week, gambled on his Western allies intervening to halt a Russian counter-offensive.

He lost heavily and as a result the country's bid for NATO membership also looks more forlorn than ever.

The political opposition, so vocal in their criticism of Saakashvili for a heavy-handed crackdown on post-election protests last year, has been reluctant to criticise the leadership during a time of war.

But some are now breaking ranks.

"Support for President Saakashvili is now a matter of principle for the majority in Georgia, as we face a military aggression from Russia," said David Usupashvili, leader of the opposition Republican Party.