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Ear to the Ground

Obama’s Private Missile Talk With Medvedev Goes Public

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Posted on Mar 26, 2012
AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais

President Barack Obama, left, chats with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday.

During what he apparently thought was a private huddle with his Russian counterpart at a nuclear summit meeting in Seoul, South Korea, President Barack Obama was caught in a hot-mic moment, giving Dmitry Medvedev an election-year pointer on the delicate subject of missile defense.  —KA

BBC:

According to a transcript of the recorded remarks carried by ABC News, Mr Obama told his Russian counterpart: “On all these issues, but particularly missile defence, this, this can be solved but it’s important for him to give me space.”

Mr Medvedev responded: “Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you.”

Mr Obama then said: “This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.”

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By heterochromatic, April 1, 2012 at 5:30 pm Link to this comment

bette oberon——Bette Davis-Merle Oberon???

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Angel Gabriel's avatar

By Angel Gabriel, March 28, 2012 at 12:00 pm Link to this comment

By by Truthdig you must be scraping the bottom of the barrel putting this
worthless thing up, or else there’s a “like” link for your advertisers embedded
someplace!
Is it the Green Card thing?? It’s laughable to think that ANYONE with a brain
living outside the US would want to live there! Comprehensive Healthcare-
nope, Career opportunities - nope, enjoy the fruits of your labor through the
American Dream - Nah, the Banks own your dreams. Find the Woman of your
Dreams, settle down and have a family? - Not unless you sign up with Macy’s
Shoe Department dating service, or Silicone ‘R Us! What kind of future would
you have after you went through the 3 year screening process with INS???
Education you say? *Snort! Educated about what? - How to make a Drone in
your back yard, to kill your Black, Muslim, Hispanic or Asian neighbor? 
It’s also laughable that you put up a link to the Occupy movement! Occupy
what? Anybody that thinks the occupy movement link gives you access to
anything but a no fly list, an NSA file with your name on it, or your email
address on it so that all those loyal allies of the Zionist regime outside of the
Empire Gates can keep a watchful eye on you is as gullible as your millions of
Arm Chair Warriors watching the nightly news - that isn’t , it’s a bedtime story
hour instruction manual…designed to drive you into the bedroom for a good
Wank!

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By Marian Griffith, March 28, 2012 at 4:31 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

These comments and the media storm created about it are an utter non-event. At worst they are Obama’s Etch-a-sketch moment.
Realistically they are just Obama saying that Putin should not make a stink over the missiles during the coming 6 months unless he wants to increase the chances of the next president of the USA being named Romney.

As far as relevance goes it scores right up (or down, depending how you look at it) with the outcry over Obama not thanking god in his thanksgivings speech (which he then turned out to actually have mentioned in his actual speech, plus hardly being the first president not doing so (including both Bushes and even god’s replacement on earth, Reagan).

There really are more important things to get upset about than this.

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By bette oberon, March 27, 2012 at 7:21 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Nothing surprising” says Obama, ‘about my having one
story for the punters and another a very different
position, in my real world.’

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By heterochromatic, March 27, 2012 at 7:04 pm Link to this comment

CC—- Americans are given to optimism and to thinking that they have living
conditions that are better than most all the rest of the world.

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By Cliff Carson, March 27, 2012 at 6:02 pm Link to this comment

The crazy thing is that if the Republicans get in we will have three wars lined up and ready to go.

And they will attack Social Security and Medicare with a fever - not to end them but to reduce the payouts and increase the collections.

Those things are a given.

Not sure whether the Democrats will do same or not.

For four years now I have asked about getting together and forming a Coalition of Independents, the only viable plan to unseat our unethical, immoral, corrupt Government.

But no takers.  Is there some insanity infecting our voters?

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By heterochromatic, March 27, 2012 at 1:12 pm Link to this comment

EZ——nah, he will not do anything much at all to
Social Security…...and anything that he attempts
would have to be something that sounds like it makes
sense and can draw bi-partisan support.

in Congress, where any changes to SS will be publicly
voted up or down….and where a large bunch of people
who ARE going to be up for re-election sit

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EmileZ's avatar

By EmileZ, March 27, 2012 at 11:25 am Link to this comment

@ William

It is most likely not a question of if.

When he gets re-elected, I anticipate he will call a press conference and explain that what he is about to do is in fact the reasonable course of action sighting some sort of committee or other, and remind us that there really is no other choice if we want to preserve whatever blah blah blah.

Then he will take his pants down, perform a squat, and shit all over Social Security as we know it.

Congress and pundits will applaud loudly and hail it as a momentous occasion. Chris Matthews will personally eat the shit and lick his lips for more.

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By William, March 27, 2012 at 10:56 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

What do you all think Obama will do to Social Security if re-elected?

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By heterochromatic, March 27, 2012 at 10:19 am Link to this comment

EZ——-  see the glory of it all


http://youtu.be/lRjItDLnAwc

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EmileZ's avatar

By EmileZ, March 27, 2012 at 8:32 am Link to this comment

@ heterochromatic

Such optimism!!!

Although that unfinished statement about Social Security leaves me wondering.

Serenade For Missy - The Residents

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVg9dYOPNEk

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By heterochromatic, March 27, 2012 at 7:29 am Link to this comment

JP——All politicians are opportunists. Take away that opportunism and they are
dangerous. Obama is saving his most unpopular moves for his second term
because he can’t run again and has nothing to lose. Think Social Security.——-

———-

think strengthening the Healthcare Reform Act (should SCOTUS spare it)

think DEMANDING Israel stop expanding the settlements

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EmileZ's avatar

By EmileZ, March 27, 2012 at 5:02 am Link to this comment

I recommend the .38 special.

Glocks are plastic sissy pistols that are as likely to shoot you in the balls as anything.

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By ReadingJones, March 27, 2012 at 4:40 am Link to this comment

EmileZ

I entertained that thought. I decided that that
particular wardrobe malfunction carried too high a
price to be planned. That, that, that… Sounds like a
semi-automatic. Sometimes I think on semi-automatic.

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By Jaded Prole, March 27, 2012 at 3:32 am Link to this comment

“This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.” This statement defines the danger of term limits and of electing a lame duck. All politicians are opportunists. Take away that opportunism and they are dangerous. Obama is saving his most unpopular moves for his second term because he can’t run again and has nothing to lose. Think Social Security. What are our alternatives? We surely don’t want the wolf without the sheep’s clothes, after all, we need some “space” for illusion and the Repugs are really worse. I wish we had a strong, progressive independent candidate.

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EmileZ's avatar

By EmileZ, March 26, 2012 at 9:47 pm Link to this comment

I often wonder about these moments and whether or not they are truly accidental.

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By Webber, March 26, 2012 at 6:24 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

European Missile defense is a blatant fraud. The small SM-3 missiles we are deploying haven’t half the range needed to hit high arcing missiles from Russia or Iran. There is an expose about this at G2mil.com, but no one seems to care.

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PatrickHenry's avatar

By PatrickHenry, March 26, 2012 at 5:03 pm Link to this comment

“After my election I have more flexibility.”

The problem with American is that we are so inflexible that we are undemocratic.

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By jim, March 26, 2012 at 4:13 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

What is sad is that Obama is no different than the
people who he will campaign against. Just the names are
different. He was able to rally up many Americans
because people actually thought he stood for change. Unfortunately when you reach that level of power and
politics the “people” no longer are your concern. He is
only worried about getting reelected and then who gives
a damn what he does? He will be replaced 4 years from
now. By a republican? By another democrat? it doesn’t
matter they both play to big money and big money plays
with power.

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