Never fear.  "Smart diplomacy" will protect us from the Russian bear.  And Vladimir Putin's newfound boldness in challenging the U.S. at every turn has nothing to do with the weakness demonstrated by President Obama across the board. Case in point: Russian bombers flew within a mile of the aircraft carrier the USS Ronald Reagan while the ship was conducting a joint exercise with South Korea.  The Ronald Reagan scrambled four F-18s after radioing the Russian planes to veer off and receiving no response.  The Russian planes were then escorted to a safe distance. Meanwhile, at the White House, spokesman Josh Earnest downplayed the incident. Washington Examiner: White House spokesman Josh Earnest downplayed the incident by saying nothing serious escalated because both militaries were operating in international space. Unlike "incursions on the sovereignty of other countries," such as Turkey and some Baltic States that the...(Read Full Post)