As great a celebrity as President Obama has become, I really did not expect coverage of his Moscow summit to compete with the obsessive, predatory and wholly redundant coverage of (plans for) today’s Michael Jackson Memorial.
But nothing demonstrates the tabloidization of the news media quite like the fact that even coverage of Sarah Palin’s “nutty” resignation speech has dominated coverage of this historic summit.
Nevertheless, I am mindful that, juxtaposed to Obama’s mission to “reset” relations between the US and Russia, interest in anything related to Michael and Sarah can only amount to fleeting celebrity hysteria. After all, how much has anyone not related to her really missed Princess Di, whose death incited even greater iconographic worship than Michael’s?
In any event, Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ended the first day of their two-day summit yesterday by signing a series of historic bi-lateral agreements.
Most notably, they codified Obama’s declaration that, since their two countries possess more than 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons, they had a special duty to lead by example on the issue of nuclear non-proliferation. Specifically, they agreed to reduce their respective stockpiles by about a third – to between 1500 and 1675 nuclear warheads each.
Of course, Obama often speaks of ushering in a world free of nuclear weapons. But nobody expects the US or Russia’s stockpiles to be reduced much lower than these new levels with an increasing number of rogue nations hell-bent of developing nuclear arsenals.
Indeed, this agreement will do nothing to deter Iran or North Korea in this respect. But it should at least enhance the US and Russia’s moral authority when lecturing other nations about nuclear non-proliferation.
Meanwhile, Obama made it plain that he’s more like Reagan than Bush when it comes to executing these bi-lateral agreements. Because instead of taking anything on faith (i.e. as Bush did by declaring Putin a soul mate), he insisted that he trusts Medvedev to keep his word, but must verify….
They also agreed to increase cooperation in a number of areas to add substantive deeds to the personal relationship US and Russian leaders (like Clinton & Yeltsin, Bush & Putin) have enjoyed in recent years.
Significantly, Russia agreed to allow the US to transport arms and military personnel over its territory into Afghanistan. In addition to facilitating operational logistics for this war, which Obama has deemed to be necessary and just, US officials indicate that this agreement will save $133 million a year, through transit fee waivers, shorter flying times, and reduced fuel costs.
On the other hand, Obama defied his domestic critics by holding his ground on missile defense and NATO expansion. In fact, I have no doubt that he’s such an effective politician because, like Reagan, he expresses his firm disagreement with disarming geniality.
In this case, Obama maintained the long-settled position that stationing US defensive missiles on Russia’s border is designed “only to protect European allies from missile attack by third-party nations.” And he admonished Russia to respect the sovereignty of former satellite countries like Georgia and Ukraine whose pro-western leanings, even more than its imploding economy, have reinforced the loss of Russia’s “sphere of influence” on the world stage.
Finally, Obama displayed refreshing knowledge and diplomatic tact, for a US president, when a reporter asked him – during his joint press conference with Medvedev – whether he thought President Medvedev or Prime Minister Putin was really in charge. Because instead of committing to either one, Obama said that he respects Russia’s form of government and the respective roles both men played in their system.
Never mind that everybody knows Medvedev is nothing more than Putin’s puppet:
The only thing that explains Medvedev selection is the expectation that he will be even more deferential to Putin… Medvedev went out of his way during his first televised address yesterday to assure the Russian people (and warn the world?) that Putin shall continue to be the most powerful man in Russia.
[Putin’s puppet, Medvedev, wins Russia’s presidential election…, TIJ, March 3, 2008]
NOTE: Rep. Peter King, a relatively insignificant congressman from New York, made quite a name for himself yesterday by railing against the 24/7 media coverage of Michael Jackson by dismissing the King of Pop as a “low-life, pervert, child molester [and] pedophile” who is not worthy of any tribute.
Clearly, based on the opening to this commentary, I sympathize with King’s lament about the excessive coverage. But he undermined this unassailable point by lacing it with such mean-spirited vitriol. Frankly, he disgraced his office; and I think he owes the Jackson family an apology.
Related commentaries:
Putin’s puppet, Medvedev
Russia calls US bluff … on Georgia
Michael Jackson was the King of Pop. But…
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