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President Barack Obama would like to do some things for Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and President-elect Vladimir Putin that he does not want American voters to know about before they decide whether to re-elect him in November. That was the intended-to-be-secret message Obama gave Medvedev in South Korea on Monday. But Obama was caught delivering the message on tape -- and, no matter how the liberal media try to spin it, the moment is destined to become emblematic of Obama as a man and as a president. "On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this can be solved. But...

As President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ended a public conference in South Korea (a nation demonstrably threatened by North Korean ballistic missiles), a still-open microphone inadvertently recorded a stunning tete-a-tete. The brief but jaw-dropping act of personal diplomacy yoked U.S. and Russian arguments over missile defense systems, a serious international security issue of long-term geo-strategic consequence, to Obama's short-term domestic political plan to secure his own re-election come November. The whispered exchange: Obama: "On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved, but it's important for him (Putin) to give me space." Medvedev:...

KRAUTHAMMER: I think that the key word here in that exchange was Obama saying to the Russians, 'this is my last election.' It's not just that 'I have another election and I'll be occupied with other issues, let's talk about this. It's a complicated want in December.' 'This is my last election.' That's his way of saying with a nod and a wink, 'Look, you guys have a free hand because you run a dictatorship, your elections are rigged. Well, ours aren't rigged, but once I get passed my last election, I'm unleashed. I can do anything

resident Obama, under mounting political pressure following disclosure of comments to Russia’s president about future flexibility in missile defense talks, told reporters on Tuesday he is not “hiding the football” regarding secret talks on the issue. The president was overheard Monday through an open microphone in Seoul having a private conversation with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev. The president said Moscow should give him “space” from political pressure during the reelection campaign. In exchange, he promised more “flexibility” in addressing Moscow’s opposition to planned missile defenses in Europe, comments widely viewed as offering additional concessions on U.S. strategic defenses. Medvedev said...

After a day of spin from the White House didn’t tamp down outrage over Barack Obama’s sotto voce conversation with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, the President himself addressed the controversy. Earlier today, Obama insisted that nothing he told Medvedev was out of the ordinary, and that he wasn’t “hiding the ball” on missile defense: A defensive President Obama said Tuesday he wasn’t guilty of “hiding the ball” when an open microphone caught him pleading with the president of Russia to delay missile shield talks until after this year’s elections.“The only way I get this stuff done is If I’m consulting...

President Obama's explanation today of his private request yesterday, captured on an open microphone, of Russian president Dmitry Medvedev for some "space" and "flexibility" until after November's election, simply compounds the problem. "The only way I get this stuff done is if I'm consulting with the Pentagon, with Congress, if I've got bipartisan support and frankly, the current environment is not conducive to those kinds of thoughtful consultations," Obama told reporters. And Obama insisted his comments to Medvedev were "not a matter of hiding the ball—I'm on record" about wanting to reduce nuclear weapons stockpiles. Obama is being disingenuous: His...

President Obama made light Tuesday of the hot microphone moment he had the day earlier with Russian President Medvedev, where he said that after the November election, he'd have more "flexibility" on the issue of missile defense. Just as leaders were greeting one another and about to sit down at the opening session of the Nuclear Security Summit, Obama spotted Medvedev, looks over at him, puts his hands over the microphone in front of him with a big smile, and then goes to greet the Russian president. Obama was asked about the "flexibility" statement later while making remarks to the...

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — President Barack Obama says he's not trying to "hide the ball" in negotiations with Russia over U.S. plans for a missile defense shield in Europe. The shield is opposed by Russia in its current form; new talks that might lead to U.S. concessions are opposed by Republican in Congress.