AND NOW THE MOSCOW CRUNCH - AT 7:52 P.M. ET:  Reality has begun to interfere with President Obama's mission to Moscow, which will undoubtedly be described as the greatest diplomatic success since Neville Chamberlain flew back from Munich.  The Russians have little patience for sentiment.  From AP:

MOSCOW -- Russia's foreign minister warned Tuesday that the U.S. would jeopardize progress toward a new treaty with Russia on nuclear arms cuts if it decides to create a global missile defense system.

Sergey Lavrov spoke a day after the Russian and U.S. presidents reached a preliminary agreement setting targets for further reductions of the world's largest offensive nuclear arsenals.

Lavrov's message was that Russia will not agree to the cuts - which both countries say they want to codify in a treaty before the existing START I agreement expires in December - if the U.S. fails to assuage Moscow's concerns over missile defense plans.

COMMENT:  Talk about a bottom line.  This has been the Russian line for years.  President Bush wouldn't buckle under.  Will The One?  As he faces falling poll numbers at home, will President Obama yield to his leftist temptation and try to make the Massachusetts and California congressional delegations happy?  Or will he pursue the national interest of the United States?

It is crunch time, in many ways, for this administration.  Just wait for autumn.

July 7, 2009