This caught my eye:
"The New York Times has reported that the White House intends to "reach out more often and more intensively" to Russia, an acknowledgment in effect that it has not always consulted Russia on foreign policy and national security plans."
Why should we consult them?
Russia has aligned itself for Iran and Syria and against Israel. I think the increased babble from Moscow is directly related to our more aggressive stance against Iran. If we strike Iran I hope we keep a keen eye on Russian movements.
Because with 5,000 nuclear active warheads and enough delivery vehicles to deliver them, they can destroy us in an instant. We don't want a repeat of 1914 where one small event triggered country after country falling into an aggressive posture because of secret mutual assistance treaties. What if the US decides to bomb Iran and Russia says "an attack on Iran will be considered an attack on Russia" like Kennedy said of Cuba. Frankly, mutual nuclear annihilation is a bad thing and should be avoided if possible. I'd rather have Russia on our side than on an opponent's side.