President Obama's "hot mic" incident with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev encourages the Right Wing to go on the attack, and coaxes the Whiny Wendigo of Wasilla to emerge from the shadows with claws at the ready.

I am sure that many of you have already heard of this incident from earlier today, but here is what the Chicago Sun-times had to report, just to bring you up to speed.

President Barack Obama told Russia’s leader Monday that he would have more flexibility after the November election to deal with the contentious issue of missile defense, a candid assessment of political reality that was picked up by a microphone without either leader apparently knowing. 

“This is my last election,” Obama is heard telling outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. “After my election, I have more flexibility.” 

Medvedev replied in English, according to a tape by ABC News: “I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir,” an apparent reference to incoming President Vladmir Putin. 

Obama and Medvedev did not intend for their comments, made during a meeting in Seoul, South Korea, to be made public. 

Once they were, the White House said Obama’s words reflected the reality that domestic political concerns in both the U.S. and Russia this year would make it difficult to fully address their long-standing differences over the contentious issue of missile defense. 

Obama, should he win re-election, would not have to face voters again. 

“Since 2012 is an election year in both countries, with an election and leadership transition in Russia and an election in the United States, it is clearly not a year in which we are going to achieve a breakthrough,” White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said.

It seems pretty cut and dried right? It is difficult to give the issue of the planned U.S. missile defense shield in Europe the attention necessary during an election year, not to mention that the constant attacks and scrutiny from the Right make it virtually impossible for Obama to make delicate policy decisions in such a divisive climate, so of course this is something that will be postponed until a later time.

I doubt that too many people would find that kind of candid talk shocking, or even particularly newsworthy.

Unless of course it was caught by a hot mic during an election year, at which time it becomes a highly exploitable political opportunity.

Already Romney and Gingrich have started to lob stones at the President from behind their thin glass walls.

 "That is an alarming and troubling development," said Romney, calling the president's comment "revealing" for what he called Obama's unwillingness to provide more details about missile defense. 

"This is no time for our president to be pulling his punches with the American people," Romney said while campaigning in San Diego. "I will make it very clear that the relationship we have around the world is one where America will be strong, that America's strength and commitment to our friends and allies will be unshakable and unwavering."

Yeah you keep rattling that saber Mitt, after all you have that magic underwear to protect YOU.

Gingrich called the exchange with Medvedev an "extraordinary moment caught on tape where the president basically said to a Russian leader, 'Please wait until after the election so I can sell out.' 

"If you read what he said, it is the most blatant comment about selling out American defenses I think any American president's ever made and I don't see how any American could trust him ever again after that comment," Gingrich said. "I mean, he thinks it's in private and he's saying to the Russians, please quote 'give me some space' so I can be re-elected and then I'll be free to do anything I want to. Well, that just told you how radically left-wing Obama's going to be in the second term."

Of course there is NO indication that the President is planning to sell out America defenses (And isn't this the same President who has been picking off Al Qaeda leaders like tin cans on a fencepost?), though of course he has gone on record as wanting to dramatically reduce the number of nuclear weapons we have stockpiled. (Which by the way is the exact same goal that both Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush fought for during THEIR Presidencies as well.)

Personally I would trust this President's plan for defending this nation over Newt "Fly me to the moon" Gingrich's any day of the week.  I mean can you imagine anybody LESS trustworthy on this topic?

'Hey, I have an opinion ya flippin moron, what about me?"

Oh yeah, I almost forgot.



Palin, lacking access to a hot mic, took to Facebook to have her opinion ghostwritten for her:

Let’s consider what this “flexibility” might mean. We know that he has repeatedly conceded to foreign demands and backed down on missile defense. I pointed this out as Governor of Alaska when he proposed reducing Alaska’s missile defense system capabilities. I explained then that the President’s proposed military cuts would diminish Alaska’s opportunity to defend the union with our strategic location’s defense infrastructure. 

Meanwhile, North Korea is planning another long-range missile launch, and the United States and our allies are still vulnerable to the threat of ballistic missiles. Our president has done nothing to alleviate this vulnerability; in fact, he’s done just the opposite. He has consistently taken a position of weakness and naïve trust in Putin’s Russia. Consider that one-sided New START Treaty as an example of this. Or consider those cuts to Alaska’s missile defense system, which leaves us much more vulnerable in the face of a nuclear North Korea. Now consider the state of our national defense under a President who whispers to a foreign power that he needs even “more flexibility” to weaken us further.

I'm sorry but the only reason that Palin was so worked up about cuts to Alaska's missile defense systems was because our state relies heavily on the money that Uncle Sam has been spending up here in anticipation that the Cold War would someday heat up to become a real war and we would need Alaska's missiles to ensure the mutual destruction of BOTH countries. (If we ALL die that'll certainly teach those Commies!) Palin's goal was to keep the "pork" smorgasbord open for business. (Which, to be fair, is what Alaskans would expect from their Governor.)

And as for the rest of her ghostwritten post, she is simply trying to seem relevant by attacking the President, on what her "researchers" (Willow? Piper?) perceive as his weaknesses, while she believes she smells blood in the water.  But that's not blood, that's the smell of Republican perspiration as they desperately look for something, anything they can use to stop Barack Obama's inevitable march to his second term in office.

Perhaps the Grizzled Mama did not get the memo, but the Cold War ended. And today nuclear missiles are NOT the weapon of choice of America's enemies. (And no I am NOT concerned that North Korea will launch a missile that will strike Alaska anytime soon.)

Today our enemy's weapon of choice is terror. (You know, the same terror the Republicans are using to scare people into voting for them.)

And the best defensive to counteract that terror is to have an intelligent leader in the White House who will not start a war every time somebody yells "Boo!" And who is able to consider ALL of the possibilities before making the appropriate policy choices for this country.

And right now I only see one candidate for President with those credentials. And guess which party does NOT have him on their ticket?