Russia denies routine U.S. overflight in violation of 1992 treaty; Obama administration *shocked*!

Russia has canceled a planned U.S. surveillance flight over Russian territory.  The flight is explicitly authorized by a 1992 agreement signed by 34 countries--the Open Skies Treaty--but Russian officials told the U.S. that they would not permit the flight.

U.S. officials speculate that the block is designed to keep the U.S. from learning how many Russian troops are deployed against Ukraine.

Can you hear Obama's advisors now?  "But...but...but...the treaty specifically says the only allowable reason for denying an inspection flight is flight safety, such as bad weather!  They're violating the agreement!"

Well who would ever have guessed that?

The government of a major nation just disregarding a solemn agreement?  You mean, like the Obozo administration violating ("unilaterally ignoring") laws it doesn't want to obey?

Russia has also recently been accused of violating and circumventing other arms treaties, including the 2010 New START arms treaty and the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty.  But of course they know that just before the 2012 election Obama--the appeaser, the Chamberlain of our times--explicitly told Russian president Medvedev to tell his boss, Putin, that Obama would be "more flexible" after he was re-elected.

I guess the Russians interpreted "more flexible" as meaning "The U.S. won't oppose anything you want to do."

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