The latest is the price we paid for Russia's vote on watered down sanctions on Iran:
The last-minute dealmaking needed to secure Russian support for new U.N. sanctions against Iran became clearer Friday when the Obama administration revealed it had ended sanctions against four Russian entities involved in illicit weapons trade with Iran and Syria since 1999.
U.S. officials also acknowledged that a loophole slipped into the language of the draft Security Council resolution on Iran would exempt a Russian-Iranian missile deal from a proposed ban of major arms sales to the Islamic republic.
The missile deal is for advanced S-300 missiles that Russia has been holding on to rather than delivering, and which Iran wants to use to defend their nuclear installations.
Wow. We got Russia to vote for a resolution we may not have enough votes to pass in the UN Security Council, which won't be crippling if enacted. An all for the low, low price of letting Russia arm Iran so they can resist an attack that could take place if smart diplomacy fails to stop Iran's nuclear weapons drive. Yeah, that smarts, all right.
The Russians must be giddy with delight.
