Reply #17: I would agree that we are as hypocritical as Russia is, if that is your point.

[pampango]

Of course, the Cuban Missile Crisis was at the height of the Cold War. I would hope that we are all operating on slightly different rules than we were during that era.

I don't think we have the right to threaten Cuba or Venezuela nor does Russia have a right to threaten Poland or Ukraine. And just because Bush took the "right" to preemptive military strikes to preserve our security, doesn't mean that he was justified in doing it or does it prove that such a "right" really exists. If Russia feels threatened by Poland (given their respective sizes and military power), they must have a really extreme inferiority complex.