[jttpwalsh]

I visited Russia, in the bad old days of the USSR. The Russians I interacted with really admired, and wanted friendship with us “Amerikinskys”. We really squandered a wonderful opportunity, in the 90’s (pre Putin).

[duckln]

You nailed it. We have a chance even today, but Tailgunner Joe and his buddies will have none of it, no matter how right it would be.

They refused to change with the times, and Russia's difficult transformation into a democracy, more conservative than ours.

IMO for the last 30 years Russia has been as accommodating as possible, and we have not.

Our apparent foreign policy has sliced them up and continues to slice them up. Time for us to change. So far Rand Paul might try again where W got sidetracked by the neocons.