So apparently, President Barack Obama thinks that Peter Baker at the New York Times missed the point on his secret letter to Dmitry Medvedev … but we can be less sure whether or not this even matters, as the Russians have already roundly rejected any overture to solve the missile sites dispute in Poland and the Czech Republic.  That’s somewhat like asking someone to the prom, and then pretending like you never wanted to go in the first place when they turn you down. 

Also, if we take a long at what the Poles and Czechs are saying about this deal, it would appear that everybody across the Atlantic seems to prefer to keep the frozen status quo for the time being, despite the contradictory bellyaching we hear from the Kremlin.  Diplomatic relations between these two countries could be so much easier if the Russians were actually clear about what they want, and the Americans more transparent about what they are offering.  Over the course of just one brisk daily news cycle, the “space” in which Washington and Moscow have to maneuver just got considerably tighter.

After the jump, a piece of gossip passed to me by a journalist friend from a major news organization.