Putin Claims The Spies Are Just Red Haired Step-Children [Reader Post]

Anna Chapman, A Russian Spy Has Been Arrested

Putin blames American law enforcement for the arrest of eleven Russian spies, claiming it has all been timed by “Hawks” who are anxious to scuttle Obama’s disarmament plans.  Mr Putin expressed his concern and anger with Bill Clinton:

“Back at your home, the police went out of control [and] are throwing people in jail,” Mr. Putin said. “But that’s the kind of job they have,” he added, drawing a laugh from Mr. Clinton when he heard the translation.

“I hope that all the positive gains that have been achieved in our relationship will not be damaged by the recent event,” Mr. Putin added.

Mr Putin is rightfully concerned that cooler heads in the US realize the advantage the Russians have with our simple-minded president and his efforts to leave the US vulnerable to the Russians.

Many Russian officials and analysts said they presumed that hawkish elements within the U.S. government had engineered and timed the arrests to embarrass President Obama and undermine the “reset.” Mr. Putin echoed that concern during a meeting at his residence outside Moscow with former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

Realizing the political advantage of a president with Obama’s naive Pollyanna view of the Russian threat, the Russians are anxious to minimize the possibility of renewed distrust by Americans who might believe that Russian spies were actually here on a nefarious mission.

Several Russian analysts said the scandal could hinder, or at least delay, Senate ratification of a new treaty between the U.S. and Russia to reduce their nuclear arsenals. The new START accord, signed by Messrs. Obama and Medvedev in April, is the biggest achievement so far in Mr. Obama’s policy toward Moscow, but the treaty faces skepticism among Senate Republicans.

“Whatever the outcome of this case, whatever the evidence, the damage has been done and is likely to linger,” said Viktor Kremenyuk, deputy director of the Institute of USA and Canada, a Moscow think tank.

President Obama being either out of the loop or disinterested in Russia’s spying, maintains his jovial relationship with the Russian leaders.

President Barack Obama last week took Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to his favorite hamburger joint, which turned out to be just blocks from the Arlington, Va., apartment building where one of the alleged Russian secret agents lived.

One of the most interesting parts of the story s that Putin doesn’t deny that the spies, who were posing as American citizens, are Russian nationals and were among the cherished illegal aliens that Obama embraces; but that the timing is likely to mess up the Russian advantage in nuclear disarmament.

Both Mr. Putin and U.S. officials voiced hopes that the brewing scandal would not harm relations between the two countries, and there was no sign in Moscow of the kind of tit-for-tat action that a deeper diplomatic rift would imply.

Both Putin and Obama seem to be embarrassed over the arrest of the Russian spies; although, President Obama is reluctant to even address the issue publicly or privately, presumably hoping the issue will disappear like the Gulf Oil Spill.

“I do not believe this will affect the resetting of our relationship with Russia,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said at a briefing in Washington.

He said Mr. Obama was aware of the alleged spy ring, but the president didn’t discuss the topic in face-to-face meetings last week with Mr. Medvedev.

At least we know that our president is sensitive to the feelings of the Russian leaders concerning these delicate issues.  Obama seems to place minimal importance to spying and its effectiveness; consequently, Russian spying is irrelevant and inconsequential in the bigger picture.