Free Republic

President Barack Obama’s open mic comments to Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, asking for “space” on missile defense until after the US presidential elections in November when he believes he will have more “flexibility” to negotiate have the White House in full damage control mode. Obama’s request that the Russians hang tight until after the election is not in itself all that surprising. This is an election year and something as vital to US security as missile defense should not be negotiated in a partisan atmosphere. But the key word in the president’s comments is “flexibility.” And the key question is:...

An open microphone captured US President Barack Obama assuring Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that he will have "more flexibility" to deal with missile defense after this year's US presidential election.

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....

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...