In today's open mic farce that has made the president a target of a fresh republican onslaught, we have Obama telling Russian presidential pawn Dmitry Medvedev that "this is his last presidential election", and that he will have "more flexibility after the election." One can only assume that Obama is referring to the aggressive NATO expansion which has angered Russia substantially as noted previously, and even led to Russia putting radar stations on combat alert [11]. It could be this or it could be anything, including US posturing vis-a-vis Syria assuming the stance a huanitariam, if completely impotent, do-gooder globocop, or for that matter any other foreign policy fiasco in which Russia now have the upper hand by default. Naturally, one wonders why Obama would be pandering to Russia (well, aside for the country's premier export position when it comes to nat gas and crude of course) in the first place. Or more importantly, as the GOP has now figured out, why does the president need to be more flexible after the election to begin with, and to what other special interest will Obama be far more responsive than to his mere electorate. Either way, nothing but more theater as central planning continues on its merry way to terminal dislocation with reality.
More from CNN [12]:
The video [13] features the clip of Obama and Medvedev holding a private conversation [14] at the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, South Korea. During their talk, which was caught on camera and on microphone, Obama asked his Russian counterpart for some "space" on the U.S.-led NATO missile defense system in Europe.
"This is my last election," Obama told Medvedev. "After my election I have more flexibility."
While Obama put his hand on Medvedev's arm, the Russian president responded saying he would transmit the information to the incoming president, current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
But Republicans seized on Obama's request as an opportunity to frame the president as a politician primarily focused on re-election.
"It's amazing what we find out about this president's policies when he thinks no one is listening and it begs the question: What else doesn't Obama want us to know about before he's reelected?" Kirsten Kukowski, RNC spokeswoman, said.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney also came out against Obama's comments, saying the moment represented "an alarming and troubling development."
"This is no time for our president to be pulling his punches with the American people. And not telling us what he's intending to do with regards to our missile defense system, with regards to our military might and with regards to our commitment to Israel and with regard to our absolute conviction that Iran must have a nuclear weapon," Romney said while campaigning in San Diego.
His team launched a new Twitter campaign Monday, highlighting the president's remark.
From his Twitter account [15], Romney asked followers to fill in the blank: "@BarackObama: I'll have more flexibility to ______ after the election."
Pushing back, the Obama campaign said Romney was distorting the president's words.
"Governor Romney has been all over the map on the key foreign policy challenges facing our nation today, offering a lot of chest thumping and empty rhetoric with no concrete plans to enhance our security or strengthen our alliances," Ben LaBolt, the campaign's press secretary, said in a statement. "Instead of passing the buck, it is time that Governor Romney shared his foreign policy agenda with the American people."
Naturally, the show must go on for the general public (which would be wise to please dump its entire life savings in the Bernie Bernankoff Asset Management ponzi scheme post haste - have you seen the monthly returns? just scorching!), even as all truly important decisions are made deep behind the scenes, and are accompanied by electronic sacks of money, where the squid in one capacity or another, always "makes a market."