Oh, are the Russians our pals now?


NOYB wrote:
No. They're deceitful and cannot be trusted.


Then why, during the last election, were you trumpeting that Putin
really really liked Bush & Cheney and wanted us all to vote for him?





Maybe because of the nuclear material they're selling to Iran, we should
keep a "hands off" approach?



No. But you must use a little more diplomacy with a nuclear power.


Russia's most credible nuclear threat to the US is via terrorist proxy.
Of course, President Bush is doing so little to combat *real* terrorism
that it's a huge threat.

Here's an interesting tie-in with this thread:


Wednesday, October 26, 2005 · Last updated 3:10 a.m. PT

Reports: Moscow opposes Syria sanctions

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MOSCOW -- Russia will try to prevent the United Nations from leveling
sanctions against Syria

Yep.

One of the best reasons for putting the hammer down on Bashir Assad is
that he has a knack for chosing the wrong side, that plus he's a brutal
dictator. OTOH his gov't is both stable & secular, and his help would be
(and was in the past) valuable against radical Muslim terrorist groups.
He is working at modernizing & Westernizing Syria, and if the U.S.
exerted a little smart diplomacy, could be a valuable ally.

We could influence him to grant slightly more human rights, too;
although somebody will first have to convince President Bush that
torture is for bad guys.

DSK