U.S. President Barack Obama is in Russia today for meetings with president Dmitry Medvedev and prime minister Vladimir Putin, a “summit” that has already been memorialized with its own matryoshka dolls (complete with flag ties).
Nice, huh? And appropriate for a guy who likes to “spread the wealth around.”
Anyway, the goal of the summit is apparently the reduction of American and Russian nuclear arsenals (heard that one before?), which we’re sure will matter a great deal to the asymmetrical warriors we’re currently fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan … and here at home, for that matter.
Reducing warheads? Seriously, people. 1983 called – it wants its superpower summit talking points back.
Still, in spite of this Obama is blasting Putin for his “Cold War mentality” towards the U.S. – which ignores the obvious bent of one country toward communism and the other away from it. Which has been noted in Pravda, of all places.
Also, “the One” may have finally found in the Russian people something we never knew existed – an unreceptive audience.
From an excellent column by Michael Idov in The Daily Beast:
Barack Obama occupies in the mind of a Westernized Muscovite a place somewhere between the iPhone and Scarlett Johansson: a nifty little thing it would be nice but impossible to claim as our own.
As a result, it is the highbrow and the opposition media that are rolling out the pomp-and-circumstance welcome wagon while the mainstream news phones it in. The liberal Ren-TV network ran a story on soldiers perfecting their drill in preparation for the big day—exactly the kind of item a puffed-up state channel would, but didn’t, run. Bolshoi Gorod, an inventive biweekly that’s half Spy and half The Nation, ran a multi-page “Obama’s Guide to Moscow” pointing out places of the president’s potential interest: a comic-book store, an American diner, a prison ward where “we keep our overly active entrepreneurs.”
Obama’s decision to meet with nominal opposition leader Garry Kasparov and grant an interview to the liberal newspaper Novaya Gazeta, that of four slain reporters, helps complete the circle: In the eyes of most Russians, the opposition is clubby, tired, and utterly irrelevant, and having Obama address it diminishes his relevance in turn.
“Puffed-up state channels.”
Funny, that sounds a lot like the American MSM, doesn’t it?
Oh well, at least we’ll “reduce our nuclear arsenals,” right?
By Pat Hendrix July 6, 2009 at 10:35 am
Odd, a foreign policy post from fits that didn’t suggest we start carpet bombing. I’m checking the weather channel to see if hell froze over.
By ilamb July 6, 2009 at 10:54 am
I believe that it’s positively grand that Obama wants to completely eliminate nuclear weapons. We have found a true leader in Obama. Let’s take a genuine positive step by first destroying all of American nukes. Then, surely, countries like North Korea and Iran will know that we are truly serious, and we will have more credibility in negotiations.
Yes we can!
It starts with us America!
Lead by example!
Yes we can!
Yes we can!
By Nyet July 6, 2009 at 11:28 am
” ‘the One’ may have finally found in the Russian people something we never knew existed – an unreceptive audience.”
I don’t think the doll makers much like him. Those aren’t the dolls I saw. The ones I saw had a huge ‘B’, then a huge ‘O’ then a teeny weeny ‘bama.’ Do you think these fine folks understand BO, as the BO (body odor) that he truly is?
By Chris R July 6, 2009 at 11:40 am
I am astonished at the many bloggers and commenter’s that are either saying he will fail, or actually even hoping he will fail.
Is there something wrong with trying to reduce our nuclear arsenals? Where was it said that we would get rid of ours first and let the others follow?
I think that we should probably wish him the best and reserve judgment until after they have met. Don’t you?
By ilamb July 6, 2009 at 1:09 pm
I’m with you Chris. If you don’t support our president then you are truly unpatriotic!
By Pat Hendrix July 6, 2009 at 1:26 pm
ilamb,
Can you point me to where the president suggested we unilaterally disarm? I’ll answer for you: No. Try using facts rather than strawman arguments, you might be taken more seriously. Oh, by the way, Ronald Reagan suggested we eliminate all nuclear weapons, too. What a pussy.
And by the way, the president was also in Russia to discuss sanctions against North Korea, he got that support last week, the containment of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and the use of Russian airspace for delivering supplies to our troops in Afghanistan. He got it.
Is that what failure looks like? If so, we need more foreign policy failures.
By madcock July 6, 2009 at 1:37 pm
All of the people who are already crticizing Obama before the trip to Russia barely starts had not a word of criticism over George W. Bush, who upon meeting the brutal dictator Vladimir Putin naively gushed, like Mark Sanford going on about Maria, that he had “looked into (Putin’s)eyes and seen a man we can trust.”
Yeah, wrong again Junior, just like those WMD’s in Iraq.
One thing Obama has going for him, at virtually every turn in his current job he has no where to go but up.
By ilamb July 6, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Madcrock,
Vladimir Putin is not a brutal dictator! He’s a great friend of America! America is paying the Russians to transport our troops and gear to Afghanistan. America will be paying Russia to transport our astronauts into space, too. Now we wouldn’t be doing business with Russians if we didn’t trust them. Brutal dictator, my foot. Maybe you need a dictionary.
Pat, Ronald Reagan was just a dumb actor, not a feline– silly boy!
By ilamb July 6, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Obama has EARNED our trust.
Obama has EARNED our respect.
Obama has said he believes He can eliminate ALL nuclear weapons off the face of the earth.
Obama says we shouldn’t waste money on “unproven nuclear missile defence technology.”
Obama says that he isn’t a dreamer or naive.
Yes we can!
Yes we can!
By DJ July 6, 2009 at 5:46 pm
We shall see, there wasn’t too much that came from this that was concrete. The reduction of the nukes wasn’t set in stone. I tend to believe that the Russians just wanted to see what Obama was like up front, kind of testing him. Only time will tell. We will see if this “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” approach will work. Its some Sun Tzu shit. I’m not liking the whole side with dictators thing though, he has to really be careful about that. Also i’m not sure why we need Russian airspace for Afghanistan? Am I missing something here? Getting Russian agreement for NK is a no brainer for Russia, its a token symbol, they cant win or lose either way…its NK. We can sanction to our hearts content and nothing of substance will come out of it, so I dont see that as anything important. Iran sells oil to Russia, Russia has great monetary ties with Iran, do we really think Russia will clamp down on Iranian nuclear ambitions? Besides it was Obama who said its their right to get nuclear power so why would he need Russia to help contain Iran in regards to nuclear power? Besides Israel is gonna make all that a mute point anyways, i’m thinking sometime this year. And 1983 did call back and basically said suck it!!! Its called detente bitaches.
By Toyota Kawaski July 7, 2009 at 9:30 am
ilamb or imlame what ever the hell your name is can we get rid of them at your house? The rain ruined my 4th fireworks display but hey the 7th is a good day for fireworks.