So I was totally peeved out of my mind last night when Chuck Todd came on TV and lamented the fact that there was no evidence that Russia cared about Obama's visit.  He said the "state run" television was not covering the event, and there were no banners around the city (Moscow) announcing the event.  He took a little look around ar the Kremlin backdrop behind him, sighed, and said it was very quiet - that the Kremlin was trying to play down the event, to not draw any attention to Obama's vistit.

Alright, Chuck.  Don't mention that you are reporting from the city at 3am!  I mean, that might have explained the lack of fanfare on Red Square?  And it was very curious to me that I'd been watching Russian "state-run" tv off and on all weekend, and it was wall-to-wall coverage of the upcoming summit, including a 4th of July celebration in Moscow, interviews with the American Ambassador to Russia, statements from Medvedev (and Chuck, "Meh-Dvuh-dev"?  really?) programmes on US-Russian cooperation in space, interviews with journalists from the EU about Nato & the missile shield, and yeah, the public installation of the "reset" button in Pushkin Square, where Muskovites were having their pics taken with a cardboard cut out of Obama.

Just in case all of this stuff might have been some Potemkin Russia invented by Kremlin-run RT, I checked out Moscow Times, which fancies itself the most independent rag in Russia, and sure enough, they confirm these events.  

So, either Chuck got off the plane at the wrong stop, or he's seen too many spy movies, mistaking people asleep at 3am for a city of 8 million being kept in the dark about Obama's visit.

And can someone tell me why the h*** there should be banners announcing Obama has arrived in your county?

"Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.