Russia Today: U.S. Media hint at the ‘devilish’ nature of Barack Obama

This Friday Russian newspapers argue with Freedom House, describe the ‘Russian Avalanche’ in Cuba, explain why Warsaw is ready to let Russian military inspectors on the U.S. missile defense facility, publish secret documents of the Georgian army and explore how the U.S. media hint at the ‘devilish’ nature of Barack Obama.

NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA cont...

VREMYA NOVOSTEI reports that a ‘Russian Avalanche’ is expected on the island of Cuba. Correspondent Alexandr Aksenov writes from Havana that the year 2008 has become ‘the Russian year’ for Cuba. He presents an impressive list of bilateral events in politics, economic and business cooperation and culture that portrays a real renaissance of Russo-Cuban relations. A visit by President Medvedev expected later this month is seen in Cuba as Russia’s way of announcing to the World that bilateral relations with Cuba are receiving a new impulse and that Russia is going to strengthen its position on the island to a level unknown since Soviet times, writes Aksenov. He adds: this is only the beginning. The most interesting events in Russo-Cuban relations are still to come.

ROSSIYSKAYA GAZETA explains that Poland’s unexpected readiness to accept Russian inspections of future U.S. missile defence facilities has been caused by direct pressure from Washington. In America, writes the paper, an understanding that missile defence is, first of all, a matter to be discussed with Russia, is winning over hearts and minds of the prospective members of the new administration. The paper also says that there is no way to predict now, in the middle of the world financial crisis, if the state budget can bear the expenses, and on top of that President Barack Obama himself is so far not convinced that the system would really work.

KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA has acquired top secret Georgian military documents – a series of orders to the 4th Rifle Brigade, the main unit of the Georgian army involved in the brutal attack on Tskhinval in August. cont..

IZVESTIA publishes an article by its veteran correspondent Malor Sturua who now lives in Minneapolis. Sturua writes that the growing online media campaign portraying Barack Obama as the Antichrist may look funny to the Russian eye but it isn’t as lightheartedly dismissed in the United States. When a man who lives in the state that Obama represents in the Senate comes forward with a winning state lottery ticket numbered 666, the number of the Beast, many see it as a revelation. Sturua says – what else to expect if apart from amateur Judgment Day and Antichrist watchers the Catholic Church itself, through Cardinal Stafford, bemoans Obama’s ‘post-modernist, aggressive, ruinous apocalyptic rhetoric.’ The Cardinal means, says Sturua, that Obama supports abortion rights, stem sell research and gay/lesbian marriages.