STRANGE - AT 7:11 A.M. ET:  The biggest story this morning, other than the financial meltdown, is the suspicious leak of a letter sent by President Obama to the president of Russia.  We started reporting on this last night.  From The New York Times:

WASHINGTON — President Obama sent a secret letter to Russia’s president last month suggesting that he would back off deploying a new missile defense system in Eastern Europe if Moscow would help stop Iran from developing long-range weapons, American officials said Monday...

...The officials who described the contents of the message requested anonymity because it has not been made public. While they said it did not offer a direct quid pro quo, the letter was intended to give Moscow an incentive to join the United States in a common front against Iran. Russia’s military, diplomatic and commercial ties to Tehran give it some influence there, but it has often resisted Washington’s hard line against Iran.

COMMENT:  Note the plural - "officials."  This is a strange leak.  Did the Obama people want the letter leaked.  If so, why?  Or are these anonymous officials opposed to the policy, and are mobilizing to stop it by releasing the letter?  This is a major story because East European allies of the United States went out on a limb to join us on missile defense, and now the Obama crowd seems to be knifing them in the back.  We'll follow this closely.  Right now there are not enough details to draw firm conclusions.   

March 3, 2009