September 21, 2009 — Contents

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 21 CONTENTS

(1)   EDITORIAL:   America’s Chamberlain

(2)  EDITORIAL:  Russians and Democracy

(3)  Obama & Russia:  The Consequences of Cowardice

(4)  Obituary:  Have fun in Hell, Mr. Mikhailkov!

(5)  Is Russia Preparing for War in Ukraine?

(6)  Scary Stuff:  A Georgian in Canada

EDITORIAL: America’s Chamberlain

EDITORIAL

America’s Chamberlain

Just as LR publisher and founder Kim Zigfeld predicted would occur two weeks ago in her Pajamas Media column, U.S. President Barack Obama has shamefully stabbed America’s allies in Poland and Czech Republic in the back by withdrawing America’s proposal to install a ballistic missile defense system in their countries.  Advantage, Russia. Not by any cleverness on the part of the Russians, mind you, but simply because of the American president’s lack of backbone, and brain.

Vladimir Putin is cheering Obama, calling him “brave.”   It is truly psychotic for a man from whose mouth so much vitriolic anti-American rhetoric has issued would think he could deliver compliments and be taken seriously.  It is truly undeniable proof of the depths to which the Obama administration has so quickly sunk that it is being praised as serving the interests of Russia by a proud KGB spy who has wiped out the last traces of American values in Russia.

But what Putin isn’t doing is offering any concecessions of any kind in return regarding Iran.  Instead, Putin is merely giving reassurances that Russia won’t now station offensive ballistic missiles near Eastern Europe, something Russia never indended to do before President Bush established the shield initiative several years ago.  And then he’s demanding even more concessions!

EDITORIAL: Russians and Democracy

EDITORIAL

Russians and Democracy

It’s encouraging to see yet another leader of Russia’s “Solidarity” opposition movement break onto the pages of the Wall Street Journal.  First it was Garry Kasparov, then Boris Nemtsov, and now it is Vladimir Kara-Murza.

Kara-Murza blasts the cowardly Putin regime for purging every single candidate fielded by Solidarity from the upcoming local election’s ballot in Moscow.  He mocks the Kremlin’s ham-handed, neo-Soviet tactics:  “One Solidarity candidate had his own signature discounted as fraudulent. Another’s ‘invalid’ signatures were found to account for 104% of the total submitted.”

He makes the important point that this will be the first major election since the onset of the devastating economic crisis that has paralyzed the entire nation for over a year now.  Obviously, the Kremlin is afraid of a backlash and it isn’t taking any chances.

Then he gets busy.

Obama & Russia: The Consequences of Cowardice

Writing on the Foreign Policy website A. Wess Mitchell, president of the Center for European Policy Analysis, a Washington-based policy institute dedicated to the study of Central Europe, and Jamie M. Fly, executive director of the Foreign Policy Initiative, who served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and on the U.S. National Security Council staff from 2005 to 2009, warn the world about the consequences of Barack Obama’s repugnant cowardice towards Russia:

Late last month, a Polish newspaper revealed that the Barack Obama administration plans to discontinue the deployment of U.S. ballistic missile defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic. In their place, the White House reportedly wants to build a modified, short-range version of the program in the Balkans or Turkey. This relocation, the administration assumes, will assuage Russian concerns while continuing to provide an effective defense against the threat of Iran’s growing missile program. Proponents of such a move argue that the result will be increased Russian cooperation abroad, newfound favor with anti-shield Western European allies, and — best of all — freedom to divert U.S. attention from Europe’s contentious east to bigger problems elsewhere.

If the administration is aware of the political costs of this new approach, it seems to think they will be limited to a minor abrasion in U.S.-Polish and U.S.-Czech relations — to be cleared up easily with some careful PR and a consolation prize. After all, what are a few hurt feelings among two small allies compared with improved relations with Moscow? Isn’t the prospect of a “reset” relationship with Russia worth the cost of U.S. disengagement from Central Europe in general and backpedaling on missile defense in particular?

Actually, no. These costs are very real, and they stretch well beyond PR to involve primary, long-term U.S. strategic interests. Consider just these four:

Obituary: Have fun in Hell, Mr. Mikhailkov

Have fun in hell, Mr. Mikhaikov!

OBITUARY

One of this planet’s more odious and malignant denizens, shown above in April of last year getting a medal for heroism from the very most odious and malignant one, namely Sergei Mikhailkov, oozed into oblivion on August 27th at the ripe old age of 96.

Is Russia preparing for War in Ukraine?

Ariel Cohen, in Moscow, writing on the Heritage Foundation website:

Is the Obama Administration, busy pushing the “reset button” with Russia is about to suffer a geopolitical setback in Ukraine? When talking to the security experts here, it sure looks like it.

Scary Stuff: A Georgian in Canada

The Candadian Press reports:

Police are urging people in a three-kilometre radius of the apartment building where a missing Toronto girl lived to search their properties for signs of her, as they check reported sightings.

Staff Insp. Larry Sinclair told a news conference today police have stepped up the search to a Level 3, the highest level, which allows them to call in outside units for assistance.

Mariam Makhniashvili, 17, was last seen by her family when she left for school with her brother on Monday morning, near Bathurst Street and Eglinton Avenue West. She did not arrive home from Forest Hill Collegiate and the school principal said Miriam was not in any classes. “This to the best of our knowledge is completely out of character for her,” he said, as he explained why the search level has been upgraded.