Obama to Russian leader: I’ll cave after I’m re-elected
Just a reminder, to those ambivalent about President Obama’s track record in his first term, of the kinds of things that could await us once he no longer has to run for re-election. From ABC News’ Jake Tapper:
At the tail end of his 90 minute meeting with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev Monday, President Obama said that he would have “more flexibility” to deal with controversial issues such as missile defense, but incoming Russian President Vladimir Putin needs to give him “space.”
The exchange was picked up by microphones as reporters were let into the room for remarks by the two leaders.
The exchange:
President Obama: On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved but it’s important for him to give me space.
President Medvedev: Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you …
President Obama: This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.
President Medvedev: I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir.
Medvedev got his gist the first time, but Obama went ahead and made it quite explicit that he would cave to Putin once he’s safely ensconced in his second term. A couple of administration officials could only give half-hearted defenses of the president’s words to Tapper — after all, how do you defend Obama here?
The vaunted “reset” with Russia, botched even in its symbolism from the beginning, has been an utter failure. Moscow has been no help regarding Iran or Syria, its bullying domination of its “near abroad” has continued unabated, and all we have to show for it is less of a commitment on our part to erecting a missile defense that never had anything to do with curtailing Russia; Putin’s protests to the contrary were laughable to anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of the kinds of missiles in question.
And now, we get a preview of the further backtracking — er, resetting — toward the untrustworthy Putin we can expect in a second Obama term. One has to wonder which other world leaders have received such requests for “space,” and to what ends.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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333 comments Add your comment
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
March 27th, 2012
5:35 pm
“3 years ago you hypocrites on the right were afraid to board air planes in this country,”
I’m more afraid of the TSA than I am terrorists. Always have been.
So you’re wrong again, gm
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
March 27th, 2012
5:36 pm
“Maybe you missed he caused the worst economy crisies in the history of our country’
And yet he did not. As has been debunked time after time after time.
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
March 27th, 2012
5:43 pm
Is Mr. obozo also concealing unpopular domestic policies he’ll spring on the country in a second term? What the president calls “flexibility” with Russian autocrats, Americans voters will likely view as a lack of candor with them. -Rove
Well of course he is, Karl, duh.
Dusty
March 27th, 2012
5:50 pm
gm
I don’t usually reply to unstable people but I”ll give it a go with you.
9/11 was a terrorist attack on our nation. Terrorists killed those many Americans. Bush was no more responsible for 9/11 than Roosevelt was responsible for Pearl Harbor.
American soldiers fought and died for our country in Iraq. They removed a murderous dictator and cleared that country from any chance of having wmds, which it was reported to have.
President Obama has followed in the plans of President Bush on protecting our country.
We are safe today because President Bush made extensive plans to protect this country. We are still safe because of his foresight.
If you can’t see any of that, it is your own ignorance.
gm
March 27th, 2012
5:56 pm
Tiberius – Your lightning rod of hate!
So you would take the terroist over the TSA(Americans) now thats funny, I needed a laugh
gm
March 27th, 2012
6:01 pm
Dusty
That what I like about you Obama haters you are out of touch with reality, please reseach and pull up the tape when bush said we are no longer looking for bin ladin and dont care where he is.
Dusy we can have different opinions but not different facts, so now you are giving bush the credit for Obama orders, had we listen to the rep we would be in libya right now, or any other country, you war hawks love to get other people kids dead, and make excuses, thank god we have a President who has compasion of other people kids.
MarkV
March 27th, 2012
6:12 pm
Dusty @1:31 pm
You have given me a perfect opening:
“Anyway, we are all wanting the best for our country, don’t you think? Even when we disagree?”
I could not agree with you more. Naturally, different people have different ideas what is best for the country. But let’s apply what you just wrote to the discussion we just had.
Do you exclude President Obama from those “we … all?” If you do, tell me why. If you do not exclude him, however, why do you claim not only that he would “cave in” to Putin, but even that he is promising he would do it, especially when there is no evidence for that? That was the essence of my critique of Kyle’s article. He not only implied, he openly accused the President of just that, that does want the best for our country. Furthermore, if you do agree with that accusation, please answer my question about what you think Obama’s motive is.
If, on the other hand, you would say that Obama does mean well, but does or intends to do wrong things according to your judgment, then my question to you is: What makes you an expert on the subjects of those negotiations? As I reminded you, we have a republican form of government. We elect our representatives, including the President, and we entrust them and him with many things, including negotiation with the Russians. We can criticize what they do, but we not only cannot demand that the President goes into such negotiations based on opinion polls, we even less should prejudge how he will negotiate.
MarkV
March 27th, 2012
6:15 pm
Dusty,
There is another, more general subject your posts have raised. As I wrote recently, I understand that people write posts simply to express opinions. I consider that generally to be useless as long as those are what I call “subjective opinions.” So you have “sounded off,” ok, what was the point? We pretty much know where most people on the blog generally stand in the political spectrum. So if you write things about Obama like, “He is neither perfect nor terribly successful,” ok, that is your opinion, we have known what you think about Obama for a long time, so what? Do you expect somebody to discuss such a generality?
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
March 27th, 2012
6:51 pm
“So you would take the terroist over the TSA(Americans)’
No, gm, I would get rid of them both; one through legislation and the other through extremely painful death.
Both are terrorist organizations. One just happens to use violence as their means to an end.
Linda
March 27th, 2012
6:55 pm
gm, According to your premise, all Obama needs to do is to kill the other 1,263,974 terrorists to be re-elected. Obama needs your help with his Kill-A-Terroist A Week Campaign. If you or anyone knows where one is hiding, either call up the White House or e-mail him. He’ll sic ‘um with them drones, even if they are American citizens. Go after it! There’s a dollar reward.
tiberius your lightning rod of hate!
March 27th, 2012
8:29 pm
What is pathetic, John, is that you continue to complain and whine without addressing the topic at hand.
Man up. Stop whining. Give us a reasonable alternative.
Otherwise, leave.
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
March 27th, 2012
8:44 pm
Looks like John needs a diaper change.
~~~~~~
Nothing is sicker than this-
Jane Fonda to play Nancy Reagan…
liberals are the most depraved and disgusting people that have ever existed, disease is their cup of tea. They intentionally trample on the hallowed grounds of other people. For what? What do these perverts want? Honestly, can someone tell me?
Lil' Barry Bailout (Unexpectedly Revised Downward)
March 27th, 2012
8:51 pm
John: It is pathetic – really, truly, pathetic – how much time you spend spouting the same senseless, meaningless, puerile, hateful drivel, from early morning until late at night, day after day after day.
————-
And yet you feel you must comment on it.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Unexpectedly Revised Downward)
March 27th, 2012
8:53 pm
Jane Fonda to play Nancy Reagan
—————–
Fonda wants to really get into character on this project and see and feel what it’s like to be an American.
Linda
March 27th, 2012
9:01 pm
John@8:17, Pitiful, absolutely pitiful, that you can’t contribute one iota to the discussion at hand.
Your pain is evident. Poor thing!
Obama is a failure in every sense of the word. What do you not understand?
Obama is a punter, a carver, a never-ending campaigner, a liar, a radical, the worst spender in the history of our country, a socialist/Marxcist, a racist, an appeaser, a progressive, a Keyensian, a taxer, a class warfare abdicator, a divider, etc.
What he is not is a leader.
If you don’t get it now, you will get it after/if he’s re-elected, which will be too late.
rightwing troll
March 27th, 2012
9:03 pm
Andy’s on the sauce again… as usual…
Dusty… well Dusty’s just Dusty… short on facts and long on hero worship for the Shrub…
rightwing troll
March 27th, 2012
9:04 pm
“Obama is a failure in every sense of the word. What do you not understand?
Obama is a punter, a carver, a never-ending campaigner, a liar, a radical, the worst spender in the history of our country, a socialist/Marxcist, a racist, an appeaser, a progressive, a Keyensian, a taxer, a class warfare abdicator, a divider, etc.
What he is not is a leader.”
Hyperbole much???
Supporting facts please?
Lil' Barry Bailout (Unexpectedly Revised Downward)
March 27th, 2012
9:21 pm
Supporting facts please?
—————————
Three years worth of 8-10% unemployment.
Three years worth of $1.5 trillion deficits.
Three years worth of record numbers of folks on the dole.
$800 billion non-stimulus flushed down the toilet.
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
March 27th, 2012
9:30 pm
Notice how Rightwing Hole sides up with the filthy tramp filming enemy propaganda while sitting on a gun used to kill soldiers of the United States.
I can’t even imagine being a liberal.
tiberius your lightning rod of hate!
March 27th, 2012
9:45 pm
The only point John has is on his head. After that, it’s all just whine, whine, whine.
tiberius your lightning rod of hate!
March 27th, 2012
9:49 pm
Lol! John exits by complaining about Linda’ s spelling, then can’t anti-Christ !
Dusty
March 27th, 2012
10:09 pm
I tell you. some of you guys need to go out and have a lovely dinner just as I have done. And with good company too. It is pleasant and beautiful outside and that is why I know you need to get out more
—————-
rightwing troll…..you are so filled with hate that you asume that everyone else is like you. Wrong! I have no hate for President Obama. Just the fact that I have watched his actions for three years, looked at the results, and realize he is not an excellent leader. That is not hate but observation. I see things as they are. You see them as you wish them to be. Perhaps you should open your eyes and look around.
——————————
MarkV,
You have brought up many of your favorite conclusions. Most of them are somewhat circumspect but usually end with your idea that opinions must be based on fact. That no one should have an opinion without a fact or two thrown in.
Well, that is a good idea but the greatest things in life are seldom based on mere facts but faith, hope and charity with love for all.
But, you say we are talking politics and loyalty and such as that. Do we not elect people whom we think will serve us and our country in good faith? Do we not pay taxes in the hope that they will be used for the good of the country? Do we not pledge allegiance (a promise to support/love) our country and its citizens? Yes, we do.
As far as I am concerned, those are the facts. Because we differ only means we are humans who love freedom and we see it in different ways. Thus we “melt” it together in this country..
When I look at President Obama’s past three years I see little success. I see little or no inspiration. I see poor financial planning. I see him depending on the decisions Bush made for many things. Now that is my opinion. Maybe it will change but that is doubtful when I realize the size of the national debt, unemployment, foreclosures with very little improvement. Then I honestly believe that someone else besides Obama would certainly do better. That is MY OPINION.
tiberius your lightning rod of hate!
March 27th, 2012
10:16 pm
Not from someone as stupid as you have shown yourself too be, John.
Dusty
March 27th, 2012
10:33 pm
John boy, @10:14
Thanks for your consideration. I have an optometrist but no psychiatrist. Perhaps you would recommend the one you are using. I have some crazy squirrels in my back yard. Maybe he could help.
MarkV
March 27th, 2012
11:11 pm
“Obama is a punter, a carver, a never-ending campaigner, a liar, a radical, the worst spender in the history of our country, a socialist/Marxcist, a racist, an appeaser, a progressive, a Keyensian, a taxer, a class warfare abdicator, a divider, etc.”
Kyle Winfield: I will also have high tolerance for labels (e.g., socialist, fascist, wingnut) regardless of political orientation, if only because they reveal weakness on the labeler’s part.
http://blogs.ajc.com/kyle-wingfield/2009/11/11/some-rules-for-this-blog/
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
March 27th, 2012
11:23 pm
MarkV once again has about a dozen posts, and instead of posting on the subject at hand, he’s till focusing on rules, T’s crossed and I’s dotted.
Why are you still here MarkV?
You contribute nothing of substance to any article Kyle writes.
You are a whiner, complainer, and an intellectual lightweight.
Skip
March 28th, 2012
7:25 am
I see Kyle didn’t use quotes in his headline, how fox news of him. You just built a story on words the pres never said.
saywhat?
March 28th, 2012
12:55 pm
To paraphrase Kyle- “My interpretation of Obama’s words is the only acceptable one. I challenge all others to offer reasonable alternate interpretations, which I will reject out of hand, and which I will not even consider to be “alternate interpretations”, since my own brilliant interpretation precludes all others from even existing.”
Somebody is demonstrating the thinking of a typical republican stooge, the kind that might vote for Gingrich, who is what a stupid person thinks a smart person looks like.
Kyle Wingfield
March 28th, 2012
12:58 pm
saywhat: “which I will reject out of hand”
Now you’re just covering for the fact that there were no alternate interpretations.
saywhat?
March 28th, 2012
12:58 pm
tiberius @ 9:49- he was spelling anarchist, not anti-christ. True reading comprehension involves not just identifying single words, but also context. Keep practicing though. Someday you might get it.
saywhat?
March 28th, 2012
1:02 pm
Kyle, I read several alternate interpretations. Perhaps you are too narrowly defining an acceptable interpretation as one which must be based on all of your own unstated prejudicial beliefs?
Just saying..
March 28th, 2012
4:26 pm
Oh no, now Obama with the Etch A Sketch strategy!! I do believe he’s the first politician ever to think this way.
Proud to be me
March 29th, 2012
6:33 pm
Out with Obama in 2012 and his “FAILED” policies!!! Can’t believe the pitiful souls who voted for someone with absolutely NO experience!! Oh! I’m sorry he was a very good “Community” organizer . . . certainly gives some credit to the saying . . that ANYBODY can be President!!