Let us hope that cool heads prevail in the governments of Georgia and Russia. - M. R.

Bush started off with a grand opportunity to engage Russia as a true partner for mutual growth and stability.

He squandered that opportunity by engaging in what can only be called "slash and burn" foreign policy, which is coming back to bite this country, both economically and geopolitically. - M. R.

However this ends, it cannot end well. - M. R.

The Russians are no fools, and Moscow has a very clear understanding against whom those missiles in Eastern Europe will be pointed. - M. R.

However, II would have loved to have been a fly on those conference room walls when the subject of a potential US strike on Iran came up. - M. R.

But as the statement in the except states, the rest of NATO is dubious that this kind of expansion can do anything else but further antagonizie Russia.

It appears that Bush is doing everything possible to sow more seeds of discord within the NATO alliance, and at the same time, pushing Russia even further away from both the US and NATO.

Ironically, he's doing this at a time when the US is pleading, on its knees, for more NATO participation in the occupation of Afghanistan.

Apparently, for this administration, any pretense at having an allegedly sane, forward-looking foreign policy has gotten thrown off a cliff in favor of doing the absolute opposite . - M. R.

He has been optimistic" about a quick end for the wars in Iraq, and Afghanistan; he has been "optimistic" about a positive outcome for the war in Somalia; he has been "optimistic" about the US economy, despite the fact that his administration has been gutting it to pay for his endless wars; and last but not least, he has been "optimistic" about an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

Excuse me, but the trendline does not bode well for his talks with Putin regarding the US proposed missile shield in Eastern Europe.

Gates and Rice came back from their meetings in Moscow with absolutely no Russian concessions at all, because Russians understand precisely at whom those missiles will be aimed. - M. R.

So, Putin is sending a message. He doesn't want to play at Cold War. He's living in the 21st Century and needs to deal with current problems, not help the US revive old worn-out scams against the taxpayers. - M. R.

What kind of complete nincompoops does Sec Def Gates believe his Russian counterparts are?

And if I were one of Gate's counterparts, I would be insulted that the US thought the Russians were dumb enough to go along with this.

The Russians understand completely at whom those missiles will be aimed. - M. R.

Were I a betting person, I would bet that Gates and Rice will leave Moscow with their hats handed to them, and absolutely nothing gained from the trip. - M. R.

Forgive me, but but this observation does not pass the geopolitical "smell test".

Of course, thinking people understand that this is primarily the cover story of why you and Sec Def Gates are off to Moscow next week.

It is the same reason Cheney is off to the Middle East.

This is about garnering whatever tacit support might be possible for an impending attack on Iran. - M. R.

In fact, I would almost bet that the real subject of conversation will be Iran, and what kind of a deal Russia can expect after a US/Israeli-led invasion, compared with what they are getting at present. - M. R.

At least, Russia is not invading and occupying other countries to advance its goals: they're using business deals, which appears to be the far more civilized way of getting what you want.

The US intelligence directors are whining like spoiled children, because what we have been doing (wars of conquest and occupation) has not worked, and what Russia has been doing to cement its position in the world has. - M. R.

I'm not really certain, however, that anyone in Washinton or Brussells is listening. - M. R.

In this, he is sending a message to the US and NATO: move forward very, very carefully, because Russia will be more than ready for any possible military confrontation, if it comes to that. - M. R.

Putin appears to be sending a monumentally un-subtle message to Washington.

Note that final paragraph: "All the warships and aircraft involved are carrying full combat ammunition loads, the Navy said." - M. R.

The United States has no place to complain, given that the United States government used this principle to justify its invasions of Afghanistan, Iraq, and (soon) Iran.

Say, what's that bright lig[NO CARRIER] - M. R.

Additionally, this article doesn't mention one small aspect of Russia's policy toward Iran, and that is the policy that any attack against Iran will be perceived as an attack against Russia. - M. R.

And that chess-playing is brilliantly demonstrated by his wily commandeering of oil and natural gas routes which benefit Russia. - M. R.

However this comes down, it is coming down ugly, unless the US and EU back off, which appears unlikely. - M. R.

The recognition of Kosovo as an independent entity may have some very nasty repercussions no matter how it comes down.

Additionally, Russia doesn't want this to be a template for other Russian-controlled areas whose citizens might be thinking about breaking away from their Russian geopolitical orbit and declaring themselves independent. - M. R.

The only thing that will stop WWIII is YOU. - M. R.

Putin and Russia could have been allies.

Everything this administration has done appears to have been done to achieve the absolute opposite of that. - M. R.

What has happened, thanks to the myopic mental fog which has passed for "foreign policy decisions" with this administration, is that Putin and Russia have become adversaries, and formidable adversaries at that.

Of course, this is exactly what the military industrial complex WANTED; a revival of the cold war and the justification of impoverishing the American people to pay for constant weapons development. - M. R.

Now, a lot of people wrote in some very angry emails when I predicted over a year ago that the ultimate game plan for Israel was to trick the US and Russia into war against each other, a mutually ruinous war which would leave both the US and Russia shattered and Israel, armed with nuclear weapons, in control of what remains of Earth's oil.

Read this article and ask yourself if it looks like war between the US and Russia seems all that fantastic now. - M. R.

Do you really want a war with Russia? They really DO have weapons of mass destruction AND the missiles to deliver them with.

Israel would love nothing better than to have the US and Russia destroy each other, leaving Israel with its nuclear arsenal to dominate the Middle East, and with that oil as leverage, Europe as well. - M. R.

"North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command along with U.S. Pacific Command, the Department of Homeland Security as well as local, state and other federal responders will exercise their response abilities against a variety of potential threats during Exercise Vigilant Shield ‘08, a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff-designated, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM)-sponsored, and U.S. Joint Forces Command-supported Department of Defense exercise for homeland defense and defense support of civil authorities missions.

VS-08 will be conducted concurrent with Top Officials 4 (TOPOFF 4), the nation’s premier exercise of terrorism preparedness sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security, and several other linked exercises as part of the National Level Exercise 1-08. These linked exercises will take place October 15-20 and are being conducted throughout the United States and in conjunction with several partner nations including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, as well as the Territory of Guam." - M. R.

Because We The People are far more worried that the American government under George Bush has amassed so much central authority that the power-grab may undermine US commitment to democracy. - M. R.

This is precisely the tack this administration takes when it identifies another country (read: Iran and Iraq) with resources which the US desperately needs.

Then comes the "justification" for the taking of those resources, no matter the price in blood and money.

I'd almost be willing to bet that we see a return of the draft in the not too distant future. - M. R.

Is this the true reason that Cheney built his bomb-proof bunker at his residence? - M. R.

This administration has known for months that Putin was absolutely, adamantly opposed to the US-proposed missile defense shield components in Poland and the Czech Republic.

That Gates and Rice went to Moscow with any notions of his position being changed was either not the point, or they have been indulging in some very wishful thinking. - M. R.

Because, unfortunately, the only people who win this kind of war are the defense contractors. - M. R.

And if Kosovo does go ahead and delcare its independence, what precisely is Russia prepared to do? - M. R.

The most apt description of current US foreign policy - if one can call it a "policy" - seems to be that total belligerence, then wondering, wide-eyed, why the rest of the world is so annoyed at us. - M. R.

Bush could very well have had a partner in Putin: now, through an incredible series of foul-ups, goofs, and blunders, he has created an adversary. - M. R.

This administration, particularly with regard to Russia, is absolutely the gang that can't shoot straight.

It's really unfortunate, because we could have building bridges with Russia, instead of walls. - M. R.

The current perception of the US by Russia is the unfortunate result. - M. R.

And the worse things get geopolitically, the more amazingly bad their decisions become. - M. R.

However, with their typical stunning indifference to the lessons of history,they have chosen to do the exact opposite.

Future historians will look at this period of history and shake their heads, aghast at the many opportunities this administration has missed or squandered. - M. R.

The Russians understand completely that a US missle defense shield in Poland and Czech Republic has absolutely nothing to do with potential harm from alleged "rogue states". - M. R.