Video- President Obama speaks on US/Russian Nuclear Treaty

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Obama, Medvedev seal nuclear arms pact

The President is about to speak, I'll get the vid up as soon as I can.

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sealed an agreement on a landmark nuclear arms reduction treaty during a phone call on Friday, the White House said.

(snip)

"This landmark agreement advances the security of both nations, and reaffirms American and Russian leadership on behalf of nuclear security and global non-proliferation," the White House said in a statement.

After months of deadlock, a deal on a replacement for the Cold War-era START treaty marked Obama's most concrete foreign policy achievement since taking office and could also boost his effort to "reset" relations with Moscow.

UPDATE- Video here.

Obama: New nuclear treaty is near

By GottaLaff

From a breaking news alert email via WaPo:

The United States and Russia have reached agreement on most major issues in a new treaty that would cut their deployed strategic nuclear warheads by one-fourth and allow each side to continue to verify the other's stockpiles, officials said Friday.

Negotiators have been racing to conclude a replacement for the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START, the nuclear giants' most extensive nuclear treaty. It expired on Dec. 5.

President Obama said Friday that the two sides are "quite close" to concluding a new version of the pact.

Much more here.

Update: There is some disagreement about this.

Video- John Stossel: Obama's America Isn't Russia, But It's Close

"For the most part"? Stossel goes for the gold in his maiden outing.

U.S. scraps missile defense shield plans

I have no idea what this really means other than Poland and the CR being pissed about not getting US defense dollars and Russia maybe backing us up on Iran.

(CNN) -- The United States has suspended Bush-administration plans for a missile defense shield in Poland and the Czech Republic, officials from both countries said Thursday -- a move likely to please Russia, which had fiercely opposed the plans.

A U.S. delegation held high-level meetings Thursday in both Poland and the Czech Republic to discuss the missile defense system. While the outcome of the meetings wasn't clear, officials in both countries confirmed the system would be scrapped.

Czech Prime minister Jan Fischer said in a statement that U.S. President Barack Obama told him in a Wednesday phone call that the United States was shelving its plans. Fischer did not say what reason Obama gave him for reconsidering.

A spokeswoman at the Polish Ministry of Defense also said the program had been suspended.

"This is catastrophic for Poland," said the spokeswoman, who declined to be named in line with ministry policy.

(snip)

Poland and the Czech Republic had based much of their future security policy on getting the missile defenses from the United States. The countries share deep concerns of a future military threat from the east -- namely, Russia -- and may now look for other defense assurances from their NATO allies.

Polish newspaper: US has 'scrapped plan for missile shield in eastern Europe'

By GottaLaff

What happens in Poland doesn't stay in Poland:

Moving to avoid a rift with Moscow, Barack Obama has "all but abandoned" plans to locate parts of a controversial US missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic, a leading Polish newspaper claimed yesterday.

The Warsaw daily Gazeta Wyborcza said that the Pentagon has been asked to explore switching planned interceptor rocket sites from the two east European states to Israel, Turkey, the Balkans or to mobile launchers on warships. Asked about the claim, a Pentagon spokesman last night said the missile shield plans were still being reviewed. "No final decisions have been made regarding missile defence in Europe" he said.

Biden Says Weakened Russia Will Bend to U.S.

By GottaLaff

Vice President Biden speaks and pow! The punditiots start right in. Just now on CNN, Bill Schneider said that although Biden's points were good ones, he shouldn't have expressed them out loud. Well, Bill, he did:

Vice President Joe Biden said in an interview that Russia's economy is "withering," and suggested the trend will force the country to make accommodations to the West on a wide range of national-security issues, including loosening its grip on former Soviet republics and shrinking its vast nuclear arsenal.

Mr. Biden said he believes Russia's economic problems are part of a series of developments that have contributed to a significant rethinking by Moscow of its international self-interest. The geographical proximity of the emerging nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea is also likely to make Russia more cooperative with the U.S. in blocking their growth, he said.

But in the interview, at the end of a four-day trip to Ukraine and Georgia, Mr. Biden said domestic troubles are the most important factor driving Russia's new global outlook. "I think we vastly underestimate the hand that we hold," he said.

There are several quotes here. A sample:

On domestic difficulties that are affecting Russian foreign policy:

"The reality is the Russians are where they are. They have a shrinking population base, they have a withering economy, they have a banking sector and structure that is not likely to be able to withstand the next 15 years, they're in a situation where the world is changing before them and they're clinging to something in the past that is not sustainable." [...]

On whether Moscow will assist the U.S. in clamping down on nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea:

"I can see Putin sitting in Moscow saying, 'Jesus Christ, Iran gets the nuclear weapon, who goes first?' Moscow, not Washington." [...]

On the need for the U.S. not to overplay its hand with Moscow:

"It is never smart to embarrass an individual or a country when they're dealing with significant loss of face. My dad used to put it another way: Never put another man in a corner where the only way out is over you. It just is not smart."

Much more here.

Video- New Wingnut Meme Fail: Russians Snubbed Obama-- Refused to Shake His Hand!

They're going to try and work this one up, so expect to see it on Hannity tonight. The funny thing is, I saw this on MSNBC while I was talking to Gotta and I thought the same thing at first viewing (I looked for, but couldn't find the vid). Watch it a couple times and see if you see what I (and some commenters at YouTube) saw. Winger Meme Fail.

Obama makes pointed quip on Russian sale of Alaska

Heh, and we wouldn't have had the entertaining train wreck of Gov Palin either.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Visiting U.S. President Barack Obama made a pointed quip Tuesday about Russia's sale of Alaska to the United States in the 19th century.

Referring to the long history of Russia-U.S. trade stretching back more than two centuries, Obama told an audience of business people in Moscow:

"Along the way, you gave us a pretty good deal on Alaska. Thank you."

Czar Alexander II's sale of Alaska to the United States in 1867 for $7.2 million in gold, around 1.9 cents per acre, was regarded by Russians as a national disgrace -- particularly once it became clear that the province was rich in oil.

Moscow was short of cash at the time.

Hey, I wonder if they'd consider buying it back? I mean really, we could use the money for healthcare!!

Michelle Obama Reaches Out to Orphans

Always have time for kids.

Like many first ladies, Michelle Obama spends a lot of her time in public with children. Her visit Moscow was no different. Mrs. Obama visited the St. Dmitriy Orphanage, meeting with about two dozen children.

The children range in age from four to 16, some are true orphans, some disabled, others come from so called “vulnerable families” – those with more than four to five children, who simply need help.

Several of the children performed for Mrs. Obama – some sang, others played piano. They presented her with handmade gifts, including a large geometrical ball made from paper, and a large framed hand embroidered flower. The young girl who presented the flower said it had taken her two days to complete.

The children asked Mrs. Obama how many children she has. She responded, two girls, including one named Sasha. Mrs. Obama explained that Natasha is Sasha’s full name, and that it is the President’s favorite name.

“How many Sasha’s do you have here?” she asked the group. There were three in all. Mrs. Obama told the children that her daughters are spending the day with their grandmother making dolls.

Video- President Obama's Speech at the New Economic School in Moscow

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Text as prepared here.

Live Video- President Obama and Medvedev Hold News Conference

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To start any minute. (10:55a EST)

Video- Medvedev welcomes President Obama to Russia

Video- First Lady Michelle Obama In Russia

Video- President Obama eyes "reset" of Russian relations

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It's going to be a busy week.

Video- Russian reporter gives Obama special nesting dolls

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Video- Obama Girls Prepare to Take on Moscow

Hell, I want to go if only for the cat show.

Video- Moscow Journal: Preparing for Obama's Arrival

Tuh-Weet: Fred Thompson's a Tuh-Wit edition

By GottaLaff

Here is Fred Thompson's Tweet and the Washington Independent's reaction to it:

Obama Administration looking at big cuts in defense spending… Meanwhile Russia is gearing up? What do you think?

Gearing up for what?

And here is the W.I.'s Tweet:

Fred Thompson Worried About War With Russia: I hope that's not an unfair reading of this tweet [and then they link to the Tweet above].

What do you think? IMHO, Fredhorn Leghorn should watch, Ah say, he shouldn't be so careless about the wording in his Tweets. No telling who's reading them.

Barack Obama, Flavor Of The Week

LOL. Copyranter also noted that the "flag" on the Capitol and Obama's lapel is a little, erm, strange. h/t Ben.

Eat it, Ben & Jerry. Via Russian ad agency Voskhod (named after the spacecrafts), we have a new, racially-flavored print ad for Duet ice cream that may cool relations considerably between our new multi-cultural prez and judoman Vlad Putin...peace signs and rainbows, notwithstanding (image via).