NO GOOD Russian Missiles HIT Iran - Syrian Crisis

The New York Times: Reports " Russian Missiles Aimed at Syria Crashed in Iran, U.S. Officials Say "

Lets Get Real:

The Russians can not even shoot straight, as noted in my previous post the major worry would be if a Russian missile either hit a NATO Country, that being Turkey or hit a US/Western plane.   The Russians if they want to play macho man should least have decent missiles that go to the target.    It seems that Russian have not spend their oil dollars so getting decent Army gear and it shows.   One can almost see the next breaking news being, " Russian missile hits Western target ", the US in the shape of President Obama really needs to man up and take Putin down a beg,  otherwise someone on either side could create another Cuban Missile Crisis.   If you allow Putin to play he will push and push, and at stome point the West will have to act. 

The Threat to the Russian homefront - US Secretary of Defence

Guardian: Reports " Russia will pay price for Syrian airstrikes, says US defence secretary..Ashton Carter predicts reprisal attacks on Russian soil after Vladimir Putin’s military campaign to prop up Bashar al-Assad’s regime  "

Lets Get Real:

The Russians will hit the roof if Daesh attacks the Russian homeland, there has been a history of terrorists attacks in Russia, the Russians would increase their presence in Syria if Russia itself is hit.   There has to be a way of  working out a deal between Russia and the West, the West will have to wait for the head of Assad, on the other hand the Russians would make everyone happy if they just hit Daesh, the airstrikes of groups supported by the West is causing more tension than there needs to be, the Russians have to take their claws back in and do a back channel deal with the West.    As stated the Syrian crisis could get out of hand fast. 

NATO and Russia - Syrian Crisis

BBC News: Reports " Nato has renewed assurances to defend allies in view of the "escalation of Russian military activities" in Syria, the alliance's secretary-general says. "

Lets Get Real:

It only takes one mistake for the crisis is Syria to become a NATO crisis and thus a crisis between the US and Russia.   The idea one has to assume from Moscow is that they have a theory that when it comes right down to it, President Obama will never push back, this of course allows for the Russians to push to far, the accidental incursion in to the air space of Turkey, the firing of cruise missiles, what happens if a missile misses and attacks Turkey by accident, or the Russians shoot down a Western plane by accident.   At some point the West has to fight back and push the Russian bear back, better to early than to late, as JFK said during the Cuban Missile Crisis, there is always some SOB down the line that did not get the word.

Clinton risks breaking with Obama - 2016 Election

CNN - Politics: Reports " In a huge blow to President Barack Obama's trade agenda, the Democratic front-runner now says she opposes the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, a massive trade deal she once helped negotiate as secretary of state. But that's not all. Clinton has broken from her vocal support of several of Obama's policies on several high-profile issues in recent weeks -- including immigration, Syria and the Keystone pipeline. "

Lets Get Real:

The Clinton Campaign has to be careful, the Oval Office might not like the fact that next Democratic President is breaking with the Oval Office.    The Obama White House might think that they have nothing to lose by supporting VP Biden for the nomination, at least Biden would understand the need to keep the Oval happy, the President could make it known that if it comes down to a choice between Biden or Clinton the Oval thinks that Biden would be a better President.   This would help Biden with the African - American vote and could sink USS Hillary Clinton.   Also the White House has a year and bit to go, it could help Biden with polices that he supports and cut the ground from under Hillary Clinton.  Lets recall Obama is a Chicago pol. they understand payback.  Interesting time in the Democratic race. 

The Conservatives who care about the poor - End of Conservative Conference

Telegraph: Reports " David Cameron is the new leader of the British Left..It’s now impossible for anyone on the progressive Left to construct an intellectually coherent argument for voting Labour  "

Lets Get Real:

The speech by the Prime Minister was very different than the one this blog expected, the PM hit the issues of security and EU, but then moved to the left, he wants to deal with hard social issues, he wants to reform prisons, he wants more social mobility, in that part of the speech even Labour moderates could agree with, it will be interesting to see how the Conservative Party deals with this call by the PM for action.   Of course at the moment the PM has the wind at his back, he has won a election every thought he would lose, and Labour has elected Jeremy Corbyn, the PM has been very lucky, but there will be tough times, when the tax credits are cut expect the BBC/Guardian types to argue that the speech today was ALL PR, but this PM does care, he wants all the UK to benefit, the question does have the time and the political skill to be successful. 

The Legacy of JFK - JFK

Guardian: Reports " JFK: declassified documents reveal a cunning and cagey president..Back channels to the Soviets, the ‘girlfriend system’ and doubts about LBJ: historian Timothy Naftali paints a portrait of a President Kennedy ‘far more interesting intellectually and far less appealing personally’ "

Lets Get Real:

The REAL JFK, is far different from the liberal hero, he was very complex, and only allowed some people to see different parts of his persona.   Of course it was a different era, his affairs, were kept secret by the White House and the press, by doing this the press allowed JFK to think that he could get away with things, that even then would have bought down any other politician.    President Kennedy is heroic, he had to deal with constant back pain, his health condition was also kept secret, it was said that Jackie O thought if he had survived he would have been a in a wheelchair in his 2nd term.   On the World stage Kennedy earned his pay for his actions over Cuba, by not hitting Soviet missiles when they shot down a U2, and doing a secret deal with the Russians over missiles in Turkey.    The major failure of the Kennedy Administration was South Vietnam, the Kennedy Administration gave a green light for the overthrow of Diem, and kept secret the role of the US in those actions, also by the time of Kennedy's death the US policy in Vietnam was a bloody mess. 

Missiles from Russian Ships HIT Syria - Syrian Crisis

Daily Mail: Reports " Russia launches CRUISE MISSILES 'at ISIS' from warships 900 miles away as Syrian ground troops begin major offensive supported by Putin's bombers  "

Lets Get Real:

As they say in poker, the Russians are going all in, they are putting all their money on keeping Syria an ally and keeping President Assad in power.   The bad news will come and it will come when Russians are returned in body bags, the more planes and troops you have on the ground more a chance that Daesh and other enemies of Assad will try their luck to snatch a Russian and place him or her on the internet.   The Russian people have been scared by Afghanistan, and of late East Ukraine, there is no overall support in Russia for Putin to place Russian troops on the line, the Russian people are not that stupid, even if Moscow has lost the plot.   Risky times for Russia in Syria.