Russia Celebrates Obama Victory

[Darth Ape]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/wo...russia.html?em

MOSCOW — In a wide-ranging attack on the United States as it elected a new president, the Russian leader Dmitri A. Medvedev warned on Wednesday that Moscow might deploy short-range missiles in the Baltic region to counter a perceived threat from a proposed American missile defense shield in Eastern Europe.

Mr. Medvedev also proposed to extend the constitutional term of the presidency from four years to six — a move that could enable future Russian presidents to serve 12 years in two consecutive terms. His remarks, in his first state of the nation address since assuming the presidency in May, were delivered within hours of the election of Barack Obama and offered a chilling glimpse into the potential issues and tensions confronting the new American leader when he takes office in January. His comments also seemed at odds with the broader groundswell of support for the American president-elect from many governments across the globe.

In his speech, Mr. Medvedev did not congratulate Mr. Obama on his victory, saying only that he hoped that “our partners — the new U.S. administration — will make a choice in favor of a full-fledged relationship with Russia.”

But he sent a telegram later saying that “Russian-American relations have historically been an important factor for stability in the world and have great importance and sometimes key significance for resolving many of today’s international and regional problems.”

‘“I hope for a constructive dialogue with you based on trust and consideration of each other’s interests,” Mr. Medvedev’s telegram said, according to the Kremlin Web site.

In his speech a few hours earlier, Mr. Medvedev spoke of a “new configuration for the military forces of our country” that would include abandoning plans to dismantle some missile regiments and the stationing of missiles in Russia’s Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad.

“We earlier planned to take three missile regiments within the missile division stationed in Kozelsk off combat duty and discontinue the division itself by 2010. I have decided to refrain from these plans,” Mr. Medvedev said.

“The Iskander missile system will be deployed in Kaliningrad region to neutralize, when necessary, the missile shield,” Medvedev said.

“Radioelectronic equipment located in the western region” of Russia in the Kaliningrad region “will jam objects of the U.S. missile defense system,” Mr. Medvedev said.

“These are forced measures,” Mr. Medvedev said. “We have told our partners more than once that we want positive cooperation, we want to act together to combat common threats, that we want to act together. But they, unfortunately, don’t want to listen to us.”

He was apparently referring to discussions on the proposed missile shield with the United States.

Kaliningrad lies between Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic Sea, a wedge between countries firmly aligned with the West since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Lithuania and Poland are members of the American-led NATO alliance.

Iskander missiles have a range of about 250 miles and use conventional warheads, according to news reports. The United States say the missile shield is needed to intercept missiles from states including Iran and does not threaten Russia. But Russia says it regards the system as a threat and has warned that it would target such installations in lands that belonged to the Warsaw Pact.

In the 90-minute speech, he rounded on the United States, saying the global financial crisis had begun as a “local extraordinary event” in American markets and blaming the August war in Georgia on “the U.S. administration’s policy which is selfish, cannot stand criticism and prefers unilateral decisions,” Reuters reported.

He said Washington’s belief in “its own opinion as the only right and indisputable one” had “in the final account led the United States to economic blunders.”

Referring to the fighting in Georgia, he said: “The conflict in the Caucasus was used as a pretext for sending NATO warships to the Black Sea and then for the forceful foisting on Europe of America’s anti-missile system, which in its turn will entail retaliatory measures by Russia.”

The fighting in Georgia was “among other things, the result of the arrogant course of the U.S. administration which hates criticism and prefers unilateral decisions,” Medvedev said, according to news reports.

His speech was broadcast live on television and radio.

Speaking about Russia’s constitutional arrangements, Mr. Medvedev said he proposed increasing term limits for presidents from four to six years and for lawmakers from four to five years. He did not say when the changes would come into effect.

The issue of term limits surfaced during the eight-year rule of Mr. Medvedev’s successor, Vladimir Putin, when there was speculation that Mr. Putin might seek to remain in office by changing the Constitution to secure a third term. Instead, Mr. Medvedev appointed his predecessor to the prime minister’s post.

Mr. Medvedev said the proposed extension was necessary to confront challenges. And, he said, he wanted to enhance the powers of Parliament.

“I am convinced that our movement toward freedom and democracy will be successful and steadfast only if the authority of the president and the State Duma will be high,” he said, according to Reuters. He said the authorities should have “enough time to implement what they announced and show the results of their work to the people.”

[alby]

It's about to get ugly. It stinks having such inexperience at the head of your country. It is similar to when Avery was coach of the Mavericks.

[u2sarajevo]

hyperbole (hī-pûr'bə-lē) pronunciation
n.
A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect, as in I could sleep for a year or This book weighs a ton.

[dalmations202]

I still remember the Carter administration, so I have no doubt that Russia celebrated. Also, so did Iran, and Syria, and the Palestinians, and North Korea.

It remains to be seen if their celebration is good for the US, good for the World, or good for themselves though.

We will see.

[Flacolaco]

exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect

Like your signature?

[u2sarajevo]

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

Like your signature?

negative.

He's my president and I will support him.

[Flacolaco]

You're a better man than I. The only support he'll get from me is a modest lack of criticism.

That's certainly better than Bush got from anyone "across the aisle."

[rabbitproof]

Nothing wrong with criticizing anybody if he deserves it. IMO, it's a citizen's duty to criticize his government and his people if they do wrong.

They will also criticize intelligently.

Let's see how Obama does as President before we sing praises or rip assholes.

[mcsluggo]

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

You're a better man than I. The only support he'll get from me is a modest lack of criticism.

That's certainly better than Bush got from anyone "across the aisle."

bipartisanism is a two way street... and in the Bush case the street was nuked by turdblossem's decree long before the democrats even began tossing spitballs.

Had Bush started with a Democrat majority in Congress and 30-something approval ratings... he might have aspired and succeeded in being a medicore president. Instead 911 gave him numbers in the 90s, and this combined with the enabelers on Capitol hill conspired to make him a turd-sandwich of possibly historic proportions.

I just hope that the dem congress doesn't doom Obama to the same fate... which it won't IFF he truly does try to rule from the center and expand his mandate by drawing in centrists from the opposition.

[Usually Lurkin]

boy, Biden is some kinda foreign policy guru, isn't he.
Now, if Obama's response makes us all think, "boy, that looks like the wrong thing to do," won't Biden be vindicated?
And if Biden's own response, and that of Obama's as well, were to actually be correct, wouldn't that be wonderfully out of character for both of them?

[wmbwinn]

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x32cxf_yuri-bezmenov

Now, here is a great video...

enjoy the reality of our situation...

[Mavdog]

when was that made, 1975?

pretty humourous when he started talking about "the subversives protesting for civil rights"....

[wmbwinn]

Originally Posted by Mavdog

when was that made, 1975?

pretty humourous when he started talking about "the subversives protesting for civil rights"....

1985