Trust But Verify to Become Can't We All Just Get Along?

Ronald Reagan knew an Evil Empire when he saw one.

Not so much the case with George W. Bush, who looked into Vladimir Putin's soul and apparently missed the beam John McCain saw there--the neon letters "K.G.B."

Former President Jimmy Carter has proven himself a dreadful judge of character, apologizing for America to the wonderful people of Hamas, even after someone attempted to blow him to smithereens while he graciously toured the Middle East to show his great love for the Arab peoples.

Barack Obama once again proved himself the un-Reagan and Carter Redux this week in Russia, as he simpered and pandered to Dmitri Medvedev and the aforementioned Putin (who still lurks in the shadows, despite not being president), offering up America's missile defense system on the altar of unilateral disarmament and showing himself to be as peace-addled as any worshipper of Jane Fonda chatting up our enemies in Vietnam.

I don't know about you, but I don't trust the Russians. Not Putin, not Medvedev. I don't trust them not to try something with Georgia again. I don't trust them to mind their own business up there with Alaska. I don't trust them to leave Poland alone once we withdraw its protection and leave it defenseless.

And I don't trust our own President to stand up to the Russians when they show their true colors.