So the big talk from the right is this:
Russia could use bases for its strategic bombers on the doorstep of the United States in Cuba and Venezuela to underpin long-distance patrols in the region, a senior air force officer said Saturday.
“This is possible in Cuba,” General Anatoly Zhikharev, chief of the Russian air force’s strategic aviation staff, told the Interfax-AVN military news agency.
The comments were the latest signal that Moscow intends to project its military capability in far-flung corners of the globe despite a tight defence budget and hardware that experts consider in many respects outdated.
Of course the right is already calling it the “Biden-challenger” for Obama.
My how quickly they forget. I wonder how Bush passed this test? Just last November this was the news:
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev plans to travel this month to Cuba and Venezuela, which have increasing military and trade ties with Moscow.
The U.S. has objected to Russia’s greater links with the two countries that have antagonistic relations with Washington.
Or how about going back to 2007, when Cuba and Venezuela were actively increasing their military arsenal, compliments of:
President Hugo Chávez is poised to buy at least five submarines from Russia in a £500m deal that will alarm the White House and confirms Venezuela as a growing military power in the region.
Mr Chávez is expected to sign the deal during a trip to Moscow next week. According to the Kommersant newspaper, Venezuela has agreed an initial contract to buy five Project 636 diesel submarines, and four Project 637 Amur submarines at a later date.
Mr Chávez wants to use the submarines to thwart any possible future trade embargo by the US and to defend its oil-rich underwater shelf, the paper reported.
So how new are these latest developments? Well let’s look:
Russia sees no need to set up permanent military bases in Venezuela or Cuba, but could use their military infrastructure, the prime minister said on Thursday.
“There is no need to build permanent bases, although we have such agreements with the Venezuelan leadership. I do not think the Cuban leadership would object either. If necessary, we will be able to use these countries’ ports to refuel and replenish supplies for our warships,” Vladimir Putin said during a televised question-and-answer session.
That’s from April of last year. So don’t trust the wingnuts, who are acting like this is some “new big thing”. It has been going on for awhile now, but while Bush was in charge. Oh yeah – Bush with his “number one Russian expert” Condi Rice as his head diplomat.