Annals of Cold War II: With so much Russian Aggression and Dishonesty, Seems Just Like Old Times
Filed under: Russia
Various international newspapers (Canada, Ireland) have reported:
Two Russian Tu-95 bombers made the 3,200-mile flight to Guam, where more than 22,000 American troops are involved in exercises, a senior air force general said yesterday. Major-General Pavel Androsov said that when US jets were scrambled, the Russian and American pilots "exchanged smiles." He added: "Whenever we saw US planes during our flights over the ocean, we greeted them. On Wednesday, we renewed the tradition when our young pilots flew by Guam in two planes. We exchanged smiles with our counterparts, who flew up from a US carrier and returned home."
It turns out that not only is Russia, in the wake of its attack on Georgia and its Arctic land grab, willing to make such provocatory moves, it's willing to lie about them too. The Washington Post reports that Russia's actual achievement was far less dramatic and bold than the Russian general described it:
The U.S. Pacific Fleet commander said Thursday Russian bombers never got within 300 miles of Guam this week and didn't fly over the U.S. territory as a Russian air force general claimed. Navy Adm. Robert F. Willard disputed that U.S. fighters intercepted the bombers. The admiral said the Russian aircraft never got close enough to the Pacific island or the massive U.S. military exercises being held nearby, to warrant such action. "U.S. planes went to an orbit point in preparation for an intercept that never occurred because the Bears didn't get close enough," Willard said in an interview using a slang term for the Russian planes.
Russia routinely tries to deny its outrageous actions, like its attack on Georgia, by claiming they are not "logical" and therefore could not have happened. But what does Russia possibly think it has to gain by threatening the homeland of the world's most powerful nation with nuclear weapons -- much less from lying about it? What, for that matter, did Russians think they had to gain by electing a proud KGB spy as their president? What did that "president" think he had to gain by making jokes about rape in front of a foreign diplomatic delegation? What did the dictator Nikita Krushchev think he had to gain by taking off his shoe at the United Nations? Are we to believe none of those things happened either? Russia is, to say the least, an illogical nation.
Lies and aggression from Russia. Seems like old times. So much for dictator Vladimir Putin's words about Russia being a "reliable partner." Once again, Russia stands utterly alone.
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