Robert Amsterdam

Dan Rather has a new column this weekend expressing his disappointment with the level of debate on Russia policy among U.S. presidential candidates.

He writes: "As for the past, both Clinton and Obama criticized what they perceived as the drift and disarray in U.S. policy toward Russia under President Bush. Certainly, with the Iraq War and the war on terrorism in the foreground, relations with the one-time (and now resurgent) superpower have been on the back burner. But if last Tuesday's exchange about Russia represented a long-overdue re-engagement with Russia policy, it was a less-than-auspicious start for these two candidates, either of whom could soon be in the Oval Office."

Rather's conclusion, like many other opinion articles we shall read this weekend, is rather inconclusive, simply calling for more engagement and smarter statecraft.