Russia

Pravda is hitting Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney over comments he made about Russia. "Russia is the geopolitical foe," Romney said earlier this week in response to President Obama telling his Russian counterpart to give him "space" so that he could have "more flexibility" after the 2012 presidential election.

A group of 36 foreign policy advisers to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney have sent an open to letter President Obama concerning the troubling assurances he gave to his Russian counterpart at a meeting yesterday in Seoul, South Korea. The president’s assurances, which were not meant to be overheard, were that he’d have “more flexibility” after the election to deal with “missile defense,” and that the Russians should therefore give him more “space” for now.

President Obama's explanation today of his private request yesterday, captured on an open microphone, of Russian president Dmitry Medvedev for some "space" and "flexibility" until after November's election, simply compounds the problem.

Today, President Obama played down his hot mic moment with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev that set-off a firestorm yesterday.

The Republican National Committee jumps on President Obama's hot mic comments to his Russian counterpart earlier today and cuts this ad: 

If one needed a reminder of why President Obama must be defeated in November, he provided it today in Seoul, where the end of his private conversation with Russian president Dmitri Medvedev was picked up by microphones as reporters were let into the room:

President Obama got caught in private conversation with a hot mic today in Seoul, South Korea, telling outgoing Russian president Dmitry Medvedev that Vladimir Putin should give him more "space" and that "[a]fter my election I have more flexibility."

The Atlantic: "Two Romneys in Two Days on Fox News."

Washington Free Beacon: "Beijing on the Potomac: Paper that broke Watergate partners with Chinese Communist Party."

In the end, the outcome of the Russian presidential election was as predictable as it was depressing. Vladimir Putin won, with an official tally of nearly 64 percent of the vote—more than enough to spare him the dreaded runoff—amid charges of widespread fraud at the ballot box. The question remains whether this is a lasting defeat for freedom in Russia or a last and ephemeral victory for Putinism.

CBS's Mark Knoller reports: 

Pres. Obama phoning congratulations from AF-1 to Pres-elect Vladimir Putin of Russia.

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "congratulated" Russian president Vladimir Putin and the Russian people for the strongman's "decisive victory" Sunday night. The message was posted on the Iranian foreign ministry website (and translated using Google Translate).

The country of Georgia has been sending troops to Afghanistan to support the NATO-led mission since 2004.