Posted on 07/08/2009 2:00:12 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
As Barack Obama departed for Moscow, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev showed he was well pleased with his counterpart's famous “reset button.” Commenting on Iran, Mr. Medvedev said: “If I understand correctly, the United States would like to establish more open and more direct relations with Iran. We support this choice. It would be counterproductive to resort to other sanctions.”
Mr. Medvedev's path was at least consistent with his quick endorsement of Iran's June 12 “election” results. Inconveniently for Mr. Obama, however, widespread vote fraud, suppression of dissent, brutality and bloodshed got in the way of his moving rapidly to open bilateral talks with Tehran's military theocracy.
But Mr. Medvedev was entirely right to assess that Iran's “election” and its aftermath were not ultimately distasteful enough to dissuade Mr. Obama from seeking direct negotiations with Iran on its nuclear program. Despite rhetorical flourishes about free elections, Mr. Obama and Joe Biden both reaffirmed after Mr. Medvedev's remarks that they will try what six years of European Union negotiations with Iran have failed to do - namely, divert it from its decades-long quest for deliverable nuclear weapons.
Iran's nuclear program is far from the only issue where Mr. Medvedev and Mr. Obama likely found themselves agreeing. Major new restrictions on strategic nuclear weapons, postponing construction on U.S. missile-defence installations in Poland and the Czech Republic and, indeed, downsizing America's entire missile-defence program, sidelining Georgia's and Ukraine's NATO membership applications, and leaning hard on Israel to stop all West Bank settlement construction and accept a Palestinian state - these are all potential points of agreement.
Russia's strategic interests in these outcomes are clear. Limiting the U.S. missile-defence program, particularly its presence in former Soviet satellites and territories, reduces America's global umbrella, as would dramatic cuts in strategic nuclear warheads (which Russia's creaking economy would require whether or not it agreed with Washington). Keeping Georgia and Ukraine from NATO membership is a clear warning to other former Soviet republics not to get too cozy with the West. NATO's reluctance to do much in response only underlines the warning.
Pressing Israel and covering for Iran (and North Korea) also help Moscow's long-standing campaign to reduce U.S. influence in the Middle East. Russia has major commercial interests in Iran, including constructing the Bushehr reactor and selling Tehran pricey, high-end conventional weapons, such as new anti-aircraft defences.
Russia's positions are not surprising, but U.S. acquiescence in them, undercutting not only Israel but NATO ally Turkey and pro-Western Arab states, certainly is. These governments may have little sympathy for Israel, but they are legitimately concerned about Iran, which poses an immediate, existential threat through its nuclear program and through continuing support for terrorists, Sunni (Hamas and Taliban) and Shia alike.
If all this comes to pass, we may conclude that the “reset button” has, indeed, been pushed. Russian-American relations, after an initial uptick, undoubtedly went downhill during the Bush administration, especially after one of Russia's important trading partners, Saddam Hussein, was removed in Iraq. But the deterioration in relations came almost entirely from more belligerent and provocative Russian behaviour, not from a desire in Washington for confrontation. Thus, all the “new” directions emanating from the Moscow summit are all essentially reversals of recent U.S. policy. The Russians should be happy; most people are when they get their way.
Supporters of Mr. Obama's “reset button” point to new U.S. overflight rights through Russian airspace for resupplying NATO forces in Afghanistan as a benefit of his new policy. That is only slight comfort, since most supplies for Afghanistan flow through European and Middle Eastern bases, requiring no Russian overflights. And it is hard to think of anything less costly to Russia, or easier to revoke than the airspace transit permission.
Some European countries are actually becoming a bit queasy over Mr. Obama's new policies, despite warmly welcoming his arrival on Jan. 20. On Iran, European G8 members may be favouring a tougher line on sanctions this week than Moscow or Washington. Europe may well worry about a Russia now free to throw its weight around in the near abroad, and in Central and Eastern Europe, while continuing to threaten cutoffs in the oil and natural gas supplies Europe depends on. And Europe should begin asking itself how strong NATO will be in the future, as Europe continues not to pull its share of the load in an actual conflict such as Afghanistan.
Obamamania, whether in the U.S. or Europe, has likely reached its limit. Americans may have voted for a lower profile in Iraq, but they did not vote for a weaker United States globally. This week's Moscow meetings may well convince many Americans that their President's “reset button” was a dangerous toy indeed.
Of course they are! China is doing the same through North Korea.
Isn’t it amazing that other countries have seen his weaknesses before the people that put him in office. Biden said he would be tested. The tests are over. They will now walk all over him.
It is not about nuclear weapons. If Iran developed a Silly Putty that would kill all the Jews, they would build it, field it, and use it.
This is like watching Peewee Herman be POTUS.
I wish they’d push his “MUTE” button
Excellent rendering of the puppet and chief, whose name is Obama!
STE=Q
Great from John Bolton
George Bush couldn’t even get him confirmed for the UN. The Democrats were too powerful
Turds float in the toilet bowl same as 0bama is now on top.
The righteous like John Bolton and Sarah Palin get eviscerated by the mass media in conjunction with the Democrats
Obamma is so evil...
He doesn’t care if our enemies get the better of us.
He will be giggling with Michelle as this country gets turned into a shadow of what it once was
Obama= Muslim stooge
Obama = Putin’s butt boy
0bamma = favorite US president of 3rd world tyrants
Of course they are!
They have a complete psych profile on Zero and know exactly what buttons to push.
The problem is that Zero thinks he’s a whole lot smarter than everyone else and just as vain and superficial as any celebrity.
We’re effectively scroomed.
If you still think you can conduct diplomacy with the Iranian Mullahs, after the recent hangings for political protest, you should no longer even be considered coherent.
I would hate to read in 5yrs or less how much “strength of character” or whatever mental condition a ghostwriter for BO’s next book will conjure up what it took for this man to have met Medvedev and said what he said. He’s an utter disgrace to this nation.
And to think- I’m projecting 5 yrs into the future and this clown’s going to bring down beau-coup $$ for these pansy-a$$ approaches/negotiations in foreign policy. I’m not surprised if Zbig B. is advising
Well everyone but the State of Israel and of course those Right-leaning Americans (the majority of the US). He's already stood up and told them - “I won so shut up, and BTW make sure you ask first”!
John Bolton is a national treasure
"Hey Obama, you are only a rank wimpy socialist. I am a hardcore strong communist! And I know a lot about you and the movements you came from. You see, we helped to form those movements in the 1960's and still assist with them. Ayers had contacts with us. The CPUSA had contacts with us and they still do. We know about your past."
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