U.S. Candidates Ignoring Russia

Lionel Beehner at Huffington Post remarks on the near total absence of any Russia debate in the U.S. presidential campaign:

What’s also remarkable is how little Russia has surfaced in the American presidential election–whereas it’s pretty safe to say what Moscow’s policy vis-à-vis Washington will be after next month’s election (angry, hyperventilating, aggressive). None of the U.S. candidates have crafted any thoughtful policy on Russia beyond a few zinger catch-phrases that involve Putin’s soul and Bush’s gullibility–most of them have fizzled. I am unaware of what these presidential contenders’ policies are regarding some sticky issues like missile defense, Georgia, Kosovo, or energy security. Would any of them pull the plug on an Energy Department program that employs Russian scientists at institutes that supply nuclear technology to Iran? Would any of the candidates agree to rollbacks in nuclear warheads, as stipulated under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and as elder statesmen like Sam Nunn, William Perry, George Schultz, and Henry Kissinger have advised.