The Russian Reset

Big Red Car here.  The Boss is still trying to catch a tarpon — The Boss 0, Tarpon 5 — and is getting whiffed pretty bad.  Haha — ooops, why am I laughing?

Anyway there are things going on in the world in which the United States is getting whiffed also.

Take, as an example, the Russians.  Please.  [Sorry, Jack Benny.  Haha, Big Red Car, you crack yourself up.]

The first Russian reset

Back in March of 2009, Secretary of State Clinton was meeting with her Russian counterpart.  With great fanfare, she presented him with a gift box which contained a “reset button”.

Corny, corny, sophomoric.  Ouch.

Well, as you know, the Russian word for “reset” was misspelled and the whole thing was a sophomoric stunt gone bad.  It was amateur hour at Foggy Bottom.

You can read about it here:  The Russian Reset Button

The second Russian reset

So now comes L’affaire Snowden in which the United States asks Russia — with whom we do not have an extradition treaty — to hand over thirty year old Edward Snowden.

Snowden is the NSA contractor employee and former CIA contract employee who absconded with tons of valuable security documents and has been selectively releasing them while contending he has no desire to harm the United States.  [Hmmm, Big Red Car, how is that possible?]

He apparently has four laptops chock full of documents.

Vladimir Putin, a well respected humanitarian, former KGB operative and the current leader of Russia, has granted Snowden a one year political asylum and safekeeping for those laptops.

Putin has apparently not gotten the “reset” memo or has decided that he does not have to really give credence to what America thinks in this matter.

Thinking like Putin

If you suspended your disbelief and pretended that you were Mr Putin — what would you do?

You would, of course, get your hands on those laptops — you being a former KGB guy and all?  You love a damn good secret, no?

Am I right, Old Sport?  Thus sayeth the Big Red Car.

Thinking like President Obama

President Obama had penciled him and Vlad in for a nice one on one chat in September.  Moscow is lovely in September.

When the heads of Russia and the United States meet together — summit style — it is a big deal.  A very big deal.

Didn’t the President tell us that under his reign things would get better because he just has a winning personality and, hey, folks just like the guy?

Well, Old Sport, a quick review of all things foreign policy might question that assumption but who am I to judge?

There are those folks who might opine that President Obama is Vladimir Putin’s bitch.  But that’s just plain rude, right, Old Sport?

So what does President Obama do?

The President cancels his summit meeting with Vlad to show that he is really, really, really pissed off that Vlad did not cough up Edward Snowden.  Extradition treaty be damned, President Obama just wanted the Russians to deliver his homeboy.

You read about it here.  President Obama says NO MEETING to Vladimir Putin.

Of course, don’t tell anyone, but the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense are both meeting in Moscow with their Russian counterparts this Friday.  So, it’s really just a head fake and a wink.  Maybe it’s not all that important or maybe President Obama is not all that pissed off after all?

So, what do you think, Old Sport — another effective foreign policy coup by the current Administration or the latest in a comedy of foreign policy missteps?

But, hey, what the Hell do I really know anyway?  I’m just a Big Red Car.