early and often

Obama Has Been Playing M.A.S.H. With Russia This Whole Time

You know what feels totally eighties when you hear about it nowadays? Note-passing. Also, secret deal-making with Russia. And our new transparent president has been engaged in both. (Speaking of which, don’t you love how, yesterday, the Obama team bragged about their big step toward “transparency” when they revealed a bunch of memos about shady dealings from the previous administration?) Turns out he’s been making plans with Russian president Dmitri Medvedev over what kind of defense structure the U.S. will build in Eastern Europe in order to deter a potentially nuclear Iran. If together we and Russia can prevent Tehran from moving ahead with nuclear and ballistic missile research, the U.S. will halt the construction of the cozy interceptor shield we’ve got planned near Russia’s home turf. Basically, as the two superpowers try to figure out what kind of relationship they’ll have going forward, they’re debating over the plan, location, and size for this arms shelter. In M.A.S.H. note terms, Bush wanted a Mansion-scale apparatus, Medvedev wanted a Shack, and Obama may settle for an Apartment. We’re glad we’re not the only people that miss the eighties.

Obama Offered Deal to Russia in Secret Letter [NYT]

Obama Has Been Playing M.A.S.H. With Russia This Whole Time