Putin did learn a lesson. "If you can't beat 'em - join'em"! Putin has big plans for this partnership, becoming the worlds biggest oil barron, controling all of Europe, Pacific coast Asia, and Japan's oil supplies, and prices, plus ridding Europe and the ME of all American influence. He's already shown a few countries in Eastern Europe who don't want to tow the Putin line how cold it can get in the winter...
Yes and no. Putin is throwing in with the Persian Shi'ites, while at the same time fighting the Sunni Chechens. We've got anti-Persian Shi'ites on our side in Iraq, and still cling to Clinton's Balkan policy of giving Orthodox Christian lands to Muslims. We are really cozy with the Wahhabist House of Saud, whose version of Sunni Islam underlies Al Qaeda, even if Al Qaeda want to supplant the House of Saud.
As I've observed before, the US committed military forces to take land from Orthodox Christians and give it Muslims. Last I checked, Russia hasn't committed any military forces to disposess Western Christians, secular humanists, or anyone else of their land to give it to Muslims. Until we stop supporting the Muslims in the Balkans, or Russia launches an offensive against a Western country to help Muslims take over, pointing a finger at Putin with an accusation of 'If you can't beat 'em - join 'em!' rings a bit hollow.