[PTBAA]

I thought the the Russians brilliantly played the opening Obama gave them to drive a wedge between us and eastern Europe. I'm sure Obama thought he was being clever by making what he thought was a confidential offer. The Russians publicly put a positive spin on Obama's initiative when they released the existence of the letter containing Obama's offer but their real reason was to put eastern Europe on notice that America could no longer be trusted.

[wastedyears]

Poland can trust the citizens of the United States.

Our current government, not so much.

[lentulusgracchus]

[Article] Now we are wishing the Iranians, whose missiles our ground-based interceptors are designed to intercept, a Happy New Year and suggesting to the Russians that if they can do something about Iran's nuclear and missile programs, we would reconsider our missile defense plans ....

Actually, the Russians have already rebuffed our suggestion of a quid pro quo and told the world they're on Iran's side.

The Russians are not going to go out of their way to help the U.S. with a proven bad player.

[Brad from Tennessee]

After Russia invaded Georgia George Bush sent the U.S. Navy into the Black Sea and delivered humanitarian aid to a Georgian Port. He was in essence daring the Russians to interfere.

Both sides knew that if the Russians attacked a U.S. vessel the action could escalate to a catastrophic level. A nuclear exchange could result in millions of U.S. and NATO casualties and massive economic and environmental damage. But modern-day Russia—to paraphrase Curtis LeMay—would be literally blasted back into the neolithic age.

This is the “diplomacy” that was used 24-7 for 50 years of the Cold War. What has changed is that nuclear parity has been replaced—for the forseeable future—by U.S. nuclear primacy.