Russia's Medvedev tells Romney to 'use head'

“It seems that despite suffering political defeats in Iraq and about to suffer one in Afghanistan, and despite losing the last presidential elections, the Republicans have not learned a thing,” the close Kremlin ally said."

And indeed they have not. Good on Medvedev for seeing through Romney so easily.

kudos to Medvedev, nicely formulated

Russian Reality Check. Funny, and appropriate.

Strange when a Russian president sounds more convincing than a Republican candidate. But, that is the state of the Republican party now.

Head On Collision. Medvedev vs Mitt or Russian vs Republican - Medvedev wins the argument.

“That they use their head and consult their reason when they formulate their positions, and that they check the time—it is now 2012, not the mid-1970s,”

ICE BURN

Mitt is just huffing and puffing, trying to show how tough he will be with U.S. "foes", and aimed at a particular audience.

The Republicans are very good at this, wasn't it Reagan who said "We have just passed a bill that outlaws the Soviet Union, we begin bombing in 5 minutes" on an open mic?

I think Medvedev handled it well, and Romney just looks even smaller than he did before (which is difficult, frankly).

...tells Romney to 'use head'

That's the problem: he IS using his head; he's just using it to get elected. What those running for office say is vastly different from what they say when they actually have responsibility for governing.

What he's not using is discretion. What he says now would box him in in the unlikely event that he were to be elected, and even so, it casts a terrible light on the United States and creates problems for the eventual leader.

That he has recently ascribed the more crazy statements uttered by Santorum as signs of a desperate candidate is ironic indeed.

House Speaker Rep. Boehner also scolds Romney for violating the American political tradition not to criticize the President while still on the overseas trip that risks undermining the US position, but instead wait till Air Force One touches down back on US soil, since such criticisms are for US consumption, not for worldwide airing out of laundry.

One thing is for certain. Russia is enemy number one at the UN right now (or possibly number two after China) in terms of trying to pass a resolution which will stop actually Assad's madness. I know Kofi Annan has managed to get an agreement but as Hillary Rodham says, Assad has a "history of over-promising and under-delivering".

Ouch! That smells of a smackdown. :-)

Medvedev was right on - and has simply expressed what Liberals and most of the rest of the world has known for years - that the GOP and conservatives are little more than a bunch of deluded kids that need to be humoured, not taken seriously.

SushiSake: Medvedev was right on - and has simply expressed what Liberals and most of the rest of the world has known for years - that the GOP and conservatives are little more than a bunch of deluded kids that need to be humoured, not taken seriously.

I'll give you the same message I gave Medvedev: Stop helping Romney.

Laguna,

American imperialistic ambitions in the region

This is 2012 not the mid-70's cold war rhetoric anymore.

The parrot's pronunciation is excellent.

Romney is just looking for any weakness in Obama's political armour which he can capitalize on and which will not only help him beat Obama in November but also vis-a-vis Santorum. However, I must say that if a Republican is to win, I do hope it's Romney, not Santorum.

Romney is a tough talker, for a democrat. He says he's a republican, but that's a farce at best. On the global stage, however, Russia indeed is a foe, as is China. But US hands are at least equally dirty in supporting despotic regimes, and installing them as well. But it's comical, in a way, for Medvedev to scold the republican candidates(three of four) who are interventionists/isolationists. Very funny, comrade!

Sure, Sailwind! He'd donate to the candidate who wants to go beyond the obsolete, costly measures of the past. The idea that Russia, with its imploding population and myriad internal problems, poses a threat to anywhere beyond a stone's throw of its borders is ridiculous; consequently, advocacy for a missile defense system is simply sop for the suppliers.

The fact that Russia and America never engaged in a "hot" war during their forty-year standoff is a tribute to level heads on both sides. Certainly, it would be wonderful to see the Russian oligarchy replaced with a true democracy, but that is not of sufficient concern to warrant American involvement (indeed, America needs a bit of nudging itself) - the Russian people themselves are making great strides, in their own way at their own pace. Hotheaded American involvement would only serve to aid the reactionaries. Rapprochement with Russia will take time and patience on both sides as well, but it works in the interests of both sides.

So, yes, if Medvedev were able to donate to a campaign, he'd certainly do so to the one that is working towards policies which benefit both sides, and humanity as a whole. Sometimes interests coincide.

When Russia has a guy like Putin as president, you can believe that things will go nowhere but downhill. Even many Russians seem to know it's a bad idea.

Laguna,

The idea that Russia, with its imploding population and myriad internal problems, poses a threat to anywhere beyond a stone's throw of its borders is ridiculous;

Tell that to the citizens of Ukraine.

The current Azarov Government continues to pursue EU-integration. During May and June 2010 both Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Hryshchenko stated that integration into Europe has been and remains the priority of domestic and foreign policy of Ukraine

I'm sure they'll be real interested in President Obama's "flexibility" if the Ukraine does become fully integrated into Europe that would be also including NATO membership and the American led security umbrella. Or are these neighbors just a stones throw from Russia going to be thrown back to being a Russian vassal state in the flexible negotiations (Obama is going to be re-elected he already knows it) in the future?

That, ladies and gentlemen is a true professional politician and world leader putting the smackdown on little kid Romney who pretends he knows about international relations. Way to go Medvedeb!! By the way, Ukraine will never be allowed to join NATO while Russia exists. My friends there tell me they don't want to be under the Russian yoke, but neither do they want to be the West's puppet. When it comes down down to it, Russia and Ukraine are historically and culturally linked as the home of Slavic civilization, and Russia will never allow to be separated.

Medvedev is Putin's lapdog.

Why do they refuse to return Japan's properties off Hokkaido?

Sailwind, I know you're smart enough to understand that Ukraine is a classic "border state" - just like Belgium and Switzerland, it contains ethnicities loyal to different groups: in the west, most have been historically loyal to Poland, while in the east, most have been loyal to Russia. Such locations are natural powder kegs; look at the multinational intersections of the Balkans for something similar.

So, yes, I'm 'sure they'll be real interested in President Obama's "flexibility" if the Ukraine does become fully integrated into Europe.' In fact, I'd imagine they would demand it.

In fact, Sailwind, Ron Paul's supporters have a natural candidate in Obama. The idea that the US should even dip one toe into the sensitivity of that area is insane; the US has no interests there; the vast majority of Americans have no knowledge of the region; and the historical tensions have lasted longer than the United States has existed. Their future is for them to work out themselves; the US must not (and I use the modal with strong purpose) interfere in that region; it would be to its extreme regret, and to everyone's loss.

I really don't get the far right's hyper-tension on this issue.

It seems pretty obvious to me that Obama would be planning for a second term. It's just logic.

It's not as if he will be planning in the event of losing the elections, only the GOP are surely planning to lose.

the US has no interests there

Laguna,

Disagree. Short term interest is to continue to build on the budding Democracies in the region since the fall of the Soviet Union. Poland is well on its way to being a totally mature and stable Democracy firmly in the E.U western orbit. Hungary, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, Belarus not quite there and needs the security of the U.S as a counterbalance to Russia if they are to succeed or regress back into Russia's geopolitical orbit. Russia is now regressing away from a Western style Democracy and it is firmly in the interest of the United States and our European allies that regressive is limited to Russia herself and not the recently freed nations on her western borders. The only way to prevent a worse case scenario of Russia falling back into a one party state and once again swallowing up nations on her borders to form a buffer zone just as Stalin did after WW 2, is to make the cost to high to them and that means a strong pro-western military deterrent in the region (i.e European Missile Defense Shield that includes Poland and the Ukraine)

Long Term U.S interest: The Black sea. The Black Sea port of Odessa in the Ukraine opens up trade to the entire region of Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus using a sea route instead of overland. This is a region rich in natural resources and with a highly educated population (the only thing the old Soviet Union actually got right). This translates into the basis for future prosperity in the region in the development of the regions rich human and natural resources and that means future markets for American goods and tech and that translates into American jobs. This also means not only a Military counterbalance to Russia ambitions but an economic one also and provides any future Russian calculus a different set of options. Open trade and continued economic growth or another futile arms race and a repeat of the collapse of the Soviet Empire due to economic stagnation. President Obama's private words on the region may well have emboldened the Russians to go even further down the path of regression in the region if in fact he is lucky enough to be re-elected as President if the American people so decide.

Sailwind - cool! And shoving a missile defense system down Russia's throat that will provide absolutely no benefits to Ukraine but will antagonize the already anxious Russian conservatives while giving reactionaries an ability to target American imperialistic ambitions in the region will benefit this - how?

The ABM treaty served it's purpose when it was just the US and Russia who could strike each other, but the problem is that ballistic missile technology has spread so there needs to be a way where 1) the US and Russia can keep each other in check and 2) the US can keep the other countries in check. The US is going to have to come up with some kind of solution to counter Russian concerns, and in turn Russia is going to have to come to terms with the fact that countries can't leave themselves open to attack from rogue states just to make Russia feel more secure.

I have a some think tu ask wath give you right to speck wath is good for Russia ? you think that Russia need yore democrate dont you think you are to organt tied you ask same Russian that you are chatting abate it you les sit in front TV and read BBC CNN nows to yo know how is those opozicioners ho are those democrats no well I tell you ho are they this pore falovs were the biggest layers Luther coropt peoples in the world after the collapse of USSR they ware the closest followers of Jelcin the in 1990-2000 vare lothyng the Russia every thing wot had any value in Russia they have stolen from it privatize bay any mins ware bay chit ware bay brutal kill they formde gangs from most filthe pieplle in Russia this persons wore ho broth Russia 1998 tho bankruptcy you think that Russian wona to put this gays in charge of Russia I ton think so that's way Putin won election knowing ho he won over the gays from hard ,90. I tone wonder that this Luther use any mine necessary to gain power back even the non thinking sidisans of Russia if you think that 30.000 piplle on the Moscow streets is many than her you same info in Moscow live 16 milyon piplle sow those protesters are only 0,02% of toale so ton give me the democrate stuff keep it for your self

Romney should tell Medvedev to stop being Putin's dog.

Not a good idea to make comments like that during an election, especially comments specifically about Republicans that might be made by Obama himself sometime in the future. Not good at all.

Obama appeared to suggest at the Seoul meeting that he was ready to make a concession on the issue

He's had ample opportunity to make concessions but he's actually taken quite a hardline approach which is why US-Russian relations haven't been that great since he took office. I took his comments to mean that he's putting the issue on the back burner until after the election.

I guess that takes the mystery out of which Super- PAC is going to be the one that get Medvedev's campaign donation this year.

Number one foe since Obama personally took down Osama.

I don't think Romney was mistaken in criticizing the presidents remarks, I think he was mistaken in giving to much credit to the russians. Number one foe? They have even more domestic issues than the US does.

Medvedev, Emperor for Life Vlad Putin's chief lackey , strikes me as just one more non American who dislikes America and therefore supports our Democrat Party. No surprise really. He tries to caution Romney that we are not in the mid 70s but why should we believe a tyrant like Putin?