[Carry_Okie]

Well, he's very vague about what we're doing wrong, except that we're misunderstanding the situation in Russia. I'm not even sure that assertion is correct.

It's just that it seems to me that we are being cautious, diplomatic happy-faces nothwithstanding.

Actually, I think he makes the point that we have been cautious to the point of timidity that brings its own consequences and should be more aggressive in pressing our positions with Moscow.

[Dog Gone]

He certainly thinks we're not being assertive enough with Russia, but I don't get the "timid" part. We're not afraid of Russia. He thinks we've been duped and Putin and the former KGB are out to get us.

I don't think we've been duped. It's a question of whether Russia needs to be encouraged into a functional democracy or bullied into one. That's a legitimate question for debate, although it is obvious that we've taken the more cautious approach. If the former KGB, including Putin, are resolute in undercutting the US, and encouragement will never work, then we have to consider what would happen if we get aggressive.