Spy swap: The wrong message?

A plane reportedly carrying Russians convicted for spying for the West lands at Dulles airport.

(Image credit: Getty)

last updated 8 January 2015

President Obama's "rush to sweep the recent Russian spy scandal off the table" quickly with a spy swap was a "bad move," says Gene Coyle at CNN.com. Obama clearly views the overall U.S. relationship with Russia as a higher priority than making a few covert agents spend decades (or even a couple years) in prison. "However, there is a line between seeking a mutually beneficial relationship and delusional pandering." Russia was taking a risk by sending in "illegals" — spies who have no diplomatic immunity because they have no official ties to their country's embassy or consulates — but Obama has effectively told Moscow that spying on America isn't really such a dangerous job, after all: "Try anything you want." Here, an excerpt:

The history of U.S.-Russian relations shows that dealing respectfully but firmly is what works best... The only thing releasing all of these deep-cover Russian intelligence officers within a matter of days is going to teach Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, an old KGB officer, is that Obama is a pushover — overly focused on making sure not to offend Russia.