Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2008
From: Liz Davis <davisbochkov@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: 2008-#221-Johnson's Russia List
Comment on item #8, Wash Post editorial,
My take, as a DC resident and former daily Post reader, is that this is a reflection of the more conservative bent of Post (and one reason why I don't read the Post daily anymore). They are simply pushing their own agenda to take an approach toward "Russia" that will not be "weak", ie., not change course from the Bush prescriptions of NATO membership and (completely unnecessarily threatening and not very useful) missiles in Poland.
A better prescription would be to suggest that the Obama team has an opportunity to think more deeply about the NATO alliance is supposed to mean in the 21st century - are we all sure that there is consensus that we fight Russia over Georgia? And in a world that needs less nuclear risk, not more, rethinking the missiles in Poland need not be viewed as capitulation but rather as an opportunity to work with Russia to put it's money where it's mouth is and revisit the proposals for joint missile defense or other anti-terrorist options together instead of pretended to use Polish-based missiles to "protect" again Iran.
The Bush policies are thoroughly discredited - it will not be "weak", either in reality or in perception - to do things differently.