An interesting approach from Moscow today, in the wording of a warning to the US to basically mind it's own business and stay out of Georgia..and that if there was an arms race developing, the US was instigating it..
It was an speech, that while spurious, is difficult to find fault with..
They're learning the game well, and developing a sophistication in Russian diplomacy not seen since the fall of the Romanovs..
By paraphrase Vlad.. the US should be more selective in choosing it's allies, and join with Russia in a combined war on terrorism.. pointing out that Russia has historically supported the Abkhazian and South Ossetian movement to separate from Georgia..
Well done indeed. Offering the hand in partnership against a cause the world is fighting, while using that key word 'ally'.
Well down the road from Nikita's banging his shoe on his desk in the UN..
And it's going to give both Presidential campaigns something to seriously think about..
For the other side of the coin was the rest of the speech.. which tore into the US for fomenting the return of the arms race with the planned missile emplacements in Poland and the Czech Republic.. and he as much as verbally pointed the finger to McCain and Obama.. warning them Russia is still a force to be reckoned with..
Ahh.. one has to love the Game..

It must be mentioned, this seventh anniversary of the attacks in New York and Virginia..
Seven years, since the entire world started, and continues to change, to deal with the ubiquitous threat posed by those devoted to a 'cause'.. a 'faith'..
It would appear that some issues never become history..

Meanwhile.. Pakistan.
Not pleased with secret orders signed by George this summer, authorizing incursions into Pakistan to attack al Q'aeda bases..
Now NATO says none of it's 47 thousand troops have trespassed.. confirming their mandate stops at the Pakistani border.. and that Pakistani Forces are provided with intelligence as to where terrorists might be hiding..
But it's a new government in Pakistan.. A Bhutto in charge again.. a Muslim State..
Something else for the future President to digest..

Commodity futures must be flying these days..
One has to laugh at both the British and American announcements that inflation is going to keep on the rise for a while, and that things are going to get tight..
Masters of stating the obvious..
The Bank of England predicted a 2% rate of inflation for this fiscal year. It's already at 4.4%, and is expected to rise again.. and again..
The US Trade Deficit increased 5.7% in July.. the largest gap since March 2007..
Yup.
Different story in India though.. While their inflation rate is still miles above that which we would consider acceptable.. that country is staging a recovery..
It depends, one would suppose, on what it takes to please the consumer.. relatively speaking..