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  #1  
Old 09-30-2011, 04:33 AM
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bhunter bhunter is offline
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Obama's Naiveté

Given Obama's dismal domestic policy results, one tend to overlook his bumbling foreign policy. His contemptible concept of "leading from behind" needs to be changed. A vacuum will soon be filled by other international actors that will certainly not care about U.S. interests. China is already on the move and Russia will follow in order to polish their tarnished status.

Here is one developing problem as a result of Obama's actions:
Quote:
Consider Russia. Russian President Dmitri Medvedev announced that he was stepping aside to permit Vladimir Putin to run (essentially unopposed) for president next year. That means that Putin is likely to be president of Russia for 12 more years because, constitutionally, Putin can now serve two more consecutive six-year terms.

Unfortunately, President Obama had placed a huge, strategic bet that Putin was not coming back. As CNN reported on July 6, 2009: "In an interview with the Associated Press late last week, Obama seemed to be trying to work through the sticking points by driving a bit of a wedge between Medvedev and Putin. 'The old Cold War approaches to U.S.-Russia relations is outdated and that it's time to move forward in a different direction,' said Obama. 'I think Medvedev understands that. I think Putin has one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new.'"

It doesn't take much to imagine where Putin, the former KGB operative, will place one of those booted feet when he gets back in office. That foot placement will be felt hard in Washington, D.C.

As Foreign Affairs magazine described it a few days ago, "Putin's return is likely to complicate Russia's thawing relations with the West, particularly the U.S.-Russia 'reset' begun in 2009. ... 'If Putin returns then I guess we will need another reset,' joked a former high-ranking Kremlin official earlier this month. The White House said on Saturday that it would keep making progress in the reset regardless of who the next Russian president was."

It's not just that the president has given away a lot to gain Medvedev's approval (now of no value to us) by: 1) giving up our anti-missile defensive commitment to our friends Poland and the Czech Republic and 2) publicly attacking the corruption of Putin's associates, who dabbling in domestic Russian politics, tried to make Medvedev look stronger to his fellow Russians. It's hard enough for an American president to dabble in American politics. Most shrewd American presidents resisted the temptation that Obama couldn't.
cf. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/publ...lures_increase
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Last edited by bhunter; 09-30-2011 at 04:36 AM.
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Old 09-30-2011, 05:47 AM
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JJIII JJIII is offline
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Putin will eat Obama for breakfast.
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Old 09-30-2011, 05:53 AM
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Putin was never gonna go away. He was pulling the strings anyhow. Obama gave nothing away that the US needed. Russia was growing in strength and prestige anyhow, because their economy and military are getting back on track. China, because Americans refuse to support local industry if they can save a dime by buying something from China.

Obama has many things that he has screwed up, but this is so not his fault.
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Old 09-30-2011, 07:00 AM
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Dondilion Dondilion is offline
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Putin also has to adjust: Russia needs commercial links...old cold war stance is not the way. There is more pressure to compete with China than with the USA. With the expanding muslim unrest she needs the cooperation of the USA. Russia biggest fear is not the west but the mullahs. I see where she is buying drones from Israel!
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Old 09-30-2011, 08:48 AM
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Medvedev was elected President in March 2008, at which time it was abundantly clear to everyone (even Dubya) that he was just a place holder for one term until Putin took over again. To think Obama (or Dubya) could have done anything to change this is delusional. To be surprised by this, someone would need to have had their head buried in the sand for the past 4 years.
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Old 09-30-2011, 09:36 AM
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piece-itpete piece-itpete is offline
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But bh, the world would just be a wonderful place, raining love and daisies, if only the big bad US would stop bullying, er leading!

Pootie pie. Before him it was state capitalism behind pretend communism. Now it's state capitalism behind pretend democracy (why's that give me a cold chill?).

There's trouble on the horizon though, they are about to go negative on their balance of trade, and the ruble isn't the world reserve currency.

Finn, of course Bush knew it, why do you think he at least tried to get on a personal level with Our Favorite Dictator?

Pete
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Old 09-30-2011, 02:58 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by piece-itpete View Post
But bh, the world would just be a wonderful place, raining love and daisies, if only the big bad US would stop bullying, er leading!

Pootie pie. Before him it was state capitalism behind pretend communism. Now it's state capitalism behind pretend democracy (why's that give me a cold chill?).

There's trouble on the horizon though, they are about to go negative on their balance of trade, and the ruble isn't the world reserve currency.

Finn, of course Bush knew it, why do you think he at least tried to get on a personal level with Our Favorite Dictator?

Pete
Sure, they led us into derivative land, that was oh so bloody wonderful.

But Dubya saw his soul.
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  #8  
Old 10-01-2011, 02:08 AM
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bhunter bhunter is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by finnbow View Post
Medvedev was elected President in March 2008, at which time it was abundantly clear to everyone (even Dubya) that he was just a place holder for one term until Putin took over again. To think Obama (or Dubya) could have done anything to change this is delusional. To be surprised by this, someone would need to have had their head buried in the sand for the past 4 years.

Someone that is supposedly as astute as Obama wouldn't have insulted Putin knowing that he would be required to deal with him in the future.

Here Obama is clearly referencing Putin:

Quote:
'The old Cold War approaches to U.S.-Russia relations is outdated and that it's time to move forward in a different direction,' said Obama. 'I think Medvedev understands that. I think Putin has one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new.'"
I still waiting and wondering what Obama's reset strategy actually is.
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Old 10-01-2011, 07:57 AM
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Oerets Oerets is offline
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It would be naive to think any info we are getting is close to the truth. I would hope no matter who is President they keep it close to the vest what they plan on doing until it is done.

One of the biggest problems in todays society is the news media and sometimes people in power all try to be the first to break a story. Then beat it to death over looking some real stories that just are to difficult to explain or lack pizzazz.


Russia is going through a readjustment and need to be handled with a firm but gentle hand. With the expansion of Natural Gas their Oil revenues are hurting. Now they are trying to use Rubles instead of U.S. Dollars in oil sales.



Barney
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