RUSSIA RESURGENT - AT 7:47 P.M. ET:  From the International Herald-Tribune:

MOSCOW: President Dmitri A. Medvedev said Tuesday that Russia would begin a "large-scale rearming" in 2011 in response to what he described as threats to the country's security.

In a speech before generals in Moscow, Mr. Medvedev cited encroachment by NATO as a primary reason for bolstering the military, including nuclear forces.

Mr. Medvedev did not offer specifics on how much the budget would grow for the military, whose capabilities deteriorated significantly after the fall of Soviet Union.

COMMENT:  We will be downsizing our military budget, at least in some areas.  We hope the president and all the "smart" people around him are going about this with two eyes, both of them looking toward the real world, not the world of the Daily Kos.

March 17, 2009