On Friday, Russian President Vladmir Putin kept the two top foreign policy officials of the United States waiting 40 minutes before appearing for the photo op and skewering his guests and their government on the planned missile defense for several countries in Europe:Mr. Putin followed a pattern of recent criticisms of American policy, whether speaking in Moscow, Munich or even Maine, and he shaped the initial public tone on Friday when he greeted Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates at his residence outside Moscow with a derisive lecture in front of the television cameras. Mr. Putin dismissed with sarcasm the American plan to build components of a missile defense system in formerly Communist nations of Central Europe as a reaction to a threat that had not yet materialized.... Mr. Putin seemed to catch Mr. Gates and Ms. Rice off guard with his remarks, since no public statements were planned in advance. Mr. Putin, though, arrived with notes and...(Read Full Post)