BH,
Hyperbole or not, it's not me that needs to explain why the democratically expressed wishes of the vast majority in a region that has declared itself independent should be supported in some cases (Kosovo, Croatia, etc.) and not in others (Ossetia, Taiwan, Hong Kong)?
I do believe that the good of the international community usually outweighs the narrow self interest of a single nation - if such an amorphous concept can be discerned.
I do believe that morality should outweigh national self interest. You've expressed the belief that national self interest outweighs international law. How does that position differ from other regimes who have followed that approach?
I'd like to think that most Americans (and certainly most US leaders) have been more honourable than that. But if I'm wrong, then we should find better allies.
I don't come down firmly on the side of the Russians. I don't trust Putin, and Russian nationalism scares me. But the evidence seems to be that they did what they claimed on this occasion, in response to a Georgian aggression that was inexcusable and morally and legally unsustainable.
And I think that giving the Russians a kicking when they don't deserve it is going to be counter-productive - exacerbating Russian paranoia and increasing tension, and helping act as a recruiting sergeant for support for Putin when we should be aiming to reassure the Russians and defuse tension, and showing ordinary Russians that we are fair minded and not their enemies.