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President Obama just gave the world a glimpse into his future foreign policy plans this week, should he win a second term. On tap for Obama II: more faith in our adversaries, more betrayal of our traditional allies and more unilateral indulgence in nuclear abolition fantasies. Monday, President Obama told Russian President Medvedev that “This is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility.” Medvedev responded that he would dutifully report that tidbit to Vladimir Putin back in the Kremlin. The men apparently did not realize their discussion was being caught by a live microphone. Given that the...

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

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...

The United States is seeking to build regional shields against ballistic missiles in both Asia and the Middle East akin to an emerging bulwark in Europe, a senior Pentagon official disclosed Monday. The effort may complicate US ties with Russia and China, both of which fear such defenses could harm their security even though the United States says they are designed only to protect against states like Iran and North Korea. The US push for new regional bulwarks includes two sets of trilateral dialogues - one with Japan and Australia and the other with Japan and South Korea, said Madelyn...

President Barack Obama offered a private request Monday to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for some “space” on missile defense ahead of November’s elections. “On all these issues, particularly on missile defense, this, this can be solved but it’s important for him to give me space,” Obama said, referring to incoming Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a TV pool reporter who heard audio recorded by a Russian reporter who was in the room moments before the two leaders spoke to reporters after their 90-minute meeting. “Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you,” Medvedev responded. A...

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.

Newt Gingrich, the first candidate to campaign in Delaware, came here Monday night pushing his $2.50-per-gallon-of-gas energy plan and jabbing President Obama about comments caught on an open microphone with outgoing Russian President Dmitri Medvedev. Gingrich said that Obama’s suggestion that he would have more flexibility to negotiate on nuclear arms after winning the 2012 election, was “destructive of American interests.” “This is a president who is amazingly destructive of American interests, something by the way of which we were reminded of today, when he didn’t know there was an open microphone,” he said to meeting of local Republican groups....

President Obama gave a hot mic supplication to departing Russian president Dmitry Medvedev that Putin should give him more “space” and “flexibility” on such national security issues as Anti-Ballistic Missile defense. According to Obama, this will be his “last election,” after all. Of course, any mention of this eye-popping exchange outside the credentialed press will be spun by Pravda West as mere blog fodder for de-contextualized right-wing hysterics. Well, comrades, let’s at least make sure our hysterics are properly contextualized, shall we? The exposed convo between the two outgoing presidents runs as follows and was originally reported by Jake Tapper...

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) ripped President Obama as "a real 'Etch a Sketch' leader" for suggesting he could switch his policy on missile defense after the election. In the midst of an often tense discussion between the United States and Russia over plans for a U.S.-led NATO European missile defense system, Obama was heard asking Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for more time on the subject and promising he will have “more flexibility” following the election in November. The comments came across a live mic the two leaders did not appear to realize was on. "Pres Obama tells Medvedev he'll be...