Russia, Romney, and Recalcitrance

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tomas-hirst/mitt-romney-russia_b_1381850.html?ref=elections-2012

Mitt Romney's claim on CNN that Russia represents America's "number one geopolitical foe" demonstrates how far the Republican party's relationship with Moscow has soured.
In June 2001, five months after President George W Bush had taken office, the story was quite different. His first meeting with then President Vladimir Putin had proven a remarkably tension-free affair with both sides exchanging warm words. Indeed it was at the press conference after that Bush passed his famous judgement on the Russian leader:

I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straight forward and trustworthy and we had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul.

Of course even then rumblings about America's plans for missile defense in Europe and broader concerns about the encroachment of NATO into former Soviet countries could be detected. Nevertheless the overriding sense among diplomats was that the relationship between the two countries was improving, if not yet altogether comfortable.

It is hard to know where to start in this mosh-mish, so let's start slow and easy and observe that it is apparent that President George W. Bush had never actually played Poker. Or, if he had played Poker, he clearly had never been bluffed by anyone standing on one pair to Mr. Bush's full house... he merely had to see into their souls to see that pair of deuces.

Having gotten that out of my system, I condemn this pernicious nonsense of picking out geopolitical foes during an election. This nonsense about missile defense systems has been going on for years, and seems to hinge on the mighty threat not of Russia, but of the massively powerful Iran.
Come to think of it, where is Michigan's missile defense system? I don't think we even have one, but Europe gets the goods!

It is, of course, a pack of lies; vintage lies; from the same crop of lies bottled on the Republican estate.

I mean, exactly how do we go about house-keeping on the international space station? Do we clean everything up, only to have the Russkies go around and empty the vacuum cleaner bag behind us? Are we constantly at each others' lying and deceiving throats up there in space? No wonder we can't get along.

Personally, I have a great respect and love for Russia. I resist Republican dogma; I will remain recalcitrant against their choice of Enemy-of-theMonth!
Deal with it, hate-mongers!
--