Obama's Aims in Russia Rest on Putin

(CBS)  President Obama's primary goal at the Moscow summit is to reset U.S.-Russian relations after years of drift and confrontation. Yet that aim can only be accomplished with the assent of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the man widely believed to hold most of the levers of powers here, CBS News Chief White House correspondent Chip Reid reports.

After a two-hour breakfast with Putin, Mr. Obama sat down with CBS News.

"I think this is a very smart, very tough, very unsentimental person," Mr. Obama said.

Despite that less than warm personal assessment, the president said they're mostly on the same page on some vital issues.

"I don't think that the Russians want to see Iran possessing a nuclear weapon," he said.

White House advisers say Mr. Obama repeatedly brought up the danger of a nuclear Iran in private meetings, urging Russian leaders to take the threat more seriously. He has made the same case for North Korea, which this weekend launched another round of threatening test missile flights.

"Do you worry about the possibility of war with North Korea? How close are we?" Reid asked the president.

"I don't think that any war is imminent with North Korea," Mr. Obama said. "I think they understand that they would be overwhelmed in a serious military conflict with the United States."

The centerpiece of this U.S.-Russia summit is a provisional agreement to reduce the two nation's nuclear arsenals by as much as a third, signed by President Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev. Mr. Obama calls it leading by example.

"Once you do that, then you've got an international community that is collectively focused on the issue," he said. "So that when we approach North Korea or Iran, it is as a united front."

The president also prodded this government-controlled nation to become more Democratic. In a speech today, he said governments that serve their own people survive; those that serve their own power do not.

[YuSoWrong]

Russia's government, which so many here seem to admire, resembles a corporation with a Chairman, a President, a phoney newsletter, etc.

The difference is that the same people who admire Russia hate corporations, which is odd, considering that corporations produce something and Russia is a corrupt dictatorship.

[Joe_NY_15]

by pubsnomore July 8, 2009 4:48 AM PDT
Great point! President Obama is going to go down in history as the greatest president the US has ever elected. Period!
______________________________

It's called an ObamaGasm, a side effect of the Barry-Berry Koolaid you are drunk on.....what we have is a Republic-No-More....Thanks Barry

[prometheus21]

The president also prodded this government-controlled nation to become more Democratic. In a speech today, he said governments that serve their own people survive; those that serve their own power do not.

Ha HAA HHAHA HAAHA..

And let me present the United States of America as a prime example of what I'm talking about.

jesus christ. UnBEFREAKINGlievable.

[prometheus21]

President Obama Will Need the Support of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Order to Improve U.S.-Russian Relations

OR.... and this can't be stressed enough ... Obama will need to make concessions on things that shouldn't even be on America's overwhelmed in debt future. WHY IN THE HELL didn't he just abandon this ASSINE missile defense shield (I mean there is ABSOLUTELY NO REALISTIC ATTEMPT to neutralize a VERY REAL NUCLEAR ISRAEL -- the DEMONSTRATED FOR ALL TO SEE, HIGHLY ARROGANT and UNSTABLE threat in REAL DEMONSTRATED TERMS to the region -- that I can see, so ***!?).

I mean, what kind of COMPLETELY ARROGANT ASS of a President, wouldn't take advantage of an opportunity like this to undo what was introduced by a psychopathic previous administration as a REAL gesture towards "resetting" U.S.- Russian relations? What is he plan on doing, sitting on this as a holding card or something? Does he realize what he just did with Russia? This was his chance to gain their trust, and this ARROGANT piece of treasonous crap is trying to make this all about him, and he blew it for all of us.

I just keep wondering what he would say, if Russia was planning on building a missile defense shield in Cuba or Venezuela to protect Russian allies from guerillas and other factions who have dealings with countries possessing nuclear arsenals that have a history of providing weapons -- including trading taxpayer purchased nuclear weapons for money to be diverted away from taxpayers in violation of their constitution(s) -- and support to overthrow nations in Central and South America. What would be the U.S. response, if Russia after suddenly introducing this plan, refused to waiver on it currently? Would the U.S. be more inclined to do the same in Europe to protect U.S. allies from a nuclear threat that doesn't currently exist (not including Israel, Pakistan, India) in the Middle East?

I love how the press now wants you to believe (or at least is propagandizing on behalf of the U.S. government and/or administration, as an assault to the American people and the 1st amendment) that this somehow has something to do with working around Medvedev to get at Putin.

What a complete waste.

[babooph]

US won 2 wars with Russia as an ally-lost a lot since-smart move from Obama,too late to fix the total mess he started with though.

[pubsnomore]

Great point! President Obama is going to go down in history as the greatest president the US has ever elected. Period!

[YuSoWrong]

Get a room.

[ajjaxtheleast]

Putin, the leader of the only country that can assure our
mutual destruction in a nuke war and Obama decides, without
knowing a thing about the Putin psyche, that it would be
a great idea to chastise this man about continuing the
cold war talk,,,,,

If Obama isn't so self-assured of his own strength that
he has to show "toughness" before meeting Putin Putin
will translate it properly and realizing it for what
it is will use it to his advantage.

Intelligent in many ways but Obama going over to meet someone
in a spirit of a new more coperative beginning dragging
along a swipe he made at him isn't intelligent,

Especially when the man he is about to meet is the
equal to or better than anything Obama
wishes to bring to the session.

Want to smile?,,,,Putin will smile you under the table.
Want to tough-talk?,,,Putin's sandbox has equal nukes
and rockets that are less exotic but could prove more
reliable in the big show.

[TheStolenGiraffe]

We need to put an end to all war, poverty, and crime in this world. And believe it or not, we now have technology capable to do it. If you don't believe me look into The Zeitgeist Movement and the Venus Project, and watch the videos (granted they're pretty long and require and open mind to understand). As far-fetched as it may sound, they do make pretty solid proposals and claims as to how this can be done. It will require the entire reformation of the way we do things on this planet, and may question the your own beliefs but if you're someone who truly wants change in this world (and I don't mean change in the way Obama pushed during his campaign and is now carrying out), then its definitely worth taking a couple hours of your time to look at. A utopian society is truly possible and it can be made through technology.

thezeitgeistmovement . com

thevenusproject . com

[TheStolenGiraffe]

We need to put an end to all war, poverty, and crime in this world. And believe it or not, we now have technology capable to do it. If you don't believe me look into The Zeitgeist Movement and the Venus Project, and watch the videos (granted they're pretty long and require and open mind to understand). As far-fetched as it may sound, they do make pretty solid proposals and claims as to how this can be done. It will require the entire reformation of the way we do things on this planet, and may question the your own beliefs but if you're someone who truly wants change in this world (and I don't mean change in the way Obama pushed during his campaign and is now carrying out), then its definitely worth taking a couple hours of your time to look at. A utopian society is truly possible and it can be made through technology.

thezeitgeistmovement . com

thevenusproject . com

[pubsnomore]

Another Alex Jones fan?

[hamiltongrad]

There's nothing to fear but fear itself.

[tautomer]

This poor little naive half-breed is in way, way, way over his head. I do have to admit it's odd seeing a Russian leader and an American leader and realizing that the American leader is the more Socialist of the two!

I had to laugh at Obama's assesment of a military encounter with North Korea. Obama can't even defeat a few ragheads running around in Helmand Province.

Obama has his $700B/yr troops stretched thin as it is. He won't be able to do squat with N Korea. The scary part is that he doesn't realize it!!!

[IrishWench01]

I can always count on coming on these boards and seeing just how ignorant people can be. I always hope otherwise, but then I read a comment like this and Ping!, that bubble bursts.

[pubsnomore]

And Repiglickkkers always wonder why they are called the Grand Ole Party of Hate.