Mitt Romney's Son Goes to Russia with Love

Have you read that story in which a duplicitous public figure sends a trusted underling to a far-off land carrying a secret conspiratorial message for a powerful and shadowy authoritarian overlord? What's that story called?

Oh right! It's called that article in today's New York Times…

Matt Romney, a son of the Republican presidential nominee, traveled to Moscow this week seeking Russian investors for his California-based real estate firm just days before his father is to wrap up a campaign in which he has vowed to take a tougher stance with the Kremlin…

But while in Moscow, Mr. Romney told a Russian known to be able to deliver messages to Mr. Putin that despite the campaign rhetoric, his father wants good relations if he becomes president, according to a person informed about the conversation.

Sounds pretty good! Very exciting stuff! I'd totally read this!

Though, I don't see why they had to reboot this story so soon after it was originally released back in March.

Tags: Barack Obama, Matt Romney, Mitt Romney, Russia, Vladimir Putin

Tweet Untweet: Putin Up With Romney

The only way I'd consider voting for Romney would be if he had a plan to make Putin keep his shirt on.

— Rachel Hastings (@rachelhastings) October 8, 2012

Tags: Mitt Romney, Tweet Untweet, Twitter, Vladimir Putin

Barack Obama's Private Messages to World Leaders

President Obama will not meet with world leaders as they gather in New York for the United Nations General Assembly. Whether it's because he's too busy campaigning or because he doesn't want to create headlines, opening himself up for attack, the move is being criticized by those on the right and the left.

What Obama's critics fail to note is that, despite being indisposed, he did take time out between television appearances to send quick messages to world leaders. We got our hands on a few of those messages, which we're now sharing with the world…

Read More »

Tags: Barack Obama, Benjamin Netanyahu, China, David Cameron, Iran, Libya, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Mitt Romney, Russia, United Kingdom, United Nations, Vladimir Putin

Our Endorsements: Putin Chick-fil-A to Shame

* Formal Sweatpants' Josh Mecouch draws @RobDelaney's latest Romney tweet about Pussy Riot.

* From The Onion, Huffington Post news sees all.

* Paul Ryan's Song of Himself, by Andy Borowitz.

* Did you see more bad lip reading with Romney?

* The Long Walk's latest installment, from McSweeney's.

* David Letterman has a talk with Mitt Romney's good friend Tracy Morgan.

* Oh sweet mystery of Paul Ryan's clothing choices, at last we've found you!

* Why Obama and Romney are both wrong about cars and dogs and energy.

* The Jimmy Kimmel show re-enacts Romney's outsourcing of Sesame Street.

Tags: Chick-fil-A, Daily Links, David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel, Mitt Romney, New Yorker, Paul Ryan, PBS, Primaries, Republicans, Rob Delaney, Russia, The Onion, Tracy Morgan, Vladimir Putin, Women's Rights

Even Russia Thinks Republicans are Stuck in the '70s

If you watched the season premiere of Mad Men on Sunday, you might be forgiven for mistaking one of its scenes of boys' club back-slapping for a GOP debate. Given their attitudes toward birth control and homosexuality, the Republicans seem to be stuck in the past.

And it's not just Democrats who've noticed…

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev tweaked Mitt Romney for his characterization of Russia as the "No. 1 geopolitical foe" of the United States, saying the comments did not reflect the current relationship between the two countries.

"It is very reminiscent of Hollywood and also of a certain phase in Russian-U.S. relations," Medvedev said at the end of the nuclear security summit in South Korea Tuesday…

"My first advice is to listen to reason when they formulate their positions. Reason never harmed a presidential candidate," Medvedev said. "My other advice is to check their watches from time to time: it is 2012, not the mid-1970s."

In post-Soviet Russia, Russia makes fun of you.

In case Medvedev hasn't noticed, reason always harms GOP candidates. Whenever a Republican makes a reasonable statement like, "Hey, maybe we should adopt humane immigration laws," poll numbers immediately plummet.

Sometimes, reason can even cause physical harm to a conservative. Rick Santorum has had to tie his brain into knots to explain why evolution and global warming are just a big liberal hoax.

Tags: Dmitry Medvedev, Foreign Policy, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Russia, Vladimir Putin