SERIOUS STUFF – AT 8:52 A.M. ET:  The United States has – surprisingly for the Obama administration – has made a grave charge against Moscow.  From Fox: 

The Obama administration has accused Russia of violating a 1987 nuclear missile treaty by testing a ground-launched cruise missile and says the U.S. is prepared for immediate high-level dialogue with Moscow over the matter.

An administration official told Fox News in a statement that the violation "is a very serious matter which we have attempted to address with Russia for some time now." The New York Times first reported the accusation.

President Obama informed Russian President Vladimir Putin in a letter Monday of the U.S.'s determination that Russia broke the agreement. The official said the U.S. is prepared to engage in "senior-level bilateral dialogue immediately" with Russia with the goal of assuring Washington that Moscow will return to compliance with the treaty.

"The United States is committed to the viability of the I.N.F. Treaty," the official said. "We encourage Russia to return to compliance with its obligations under the Treaty and to eliminate any prohibited items in a verifiable manner."

According to the Times, Russia started testing the missiles as early as 2008, and the Obama administration flagged them as a possible violation at the end of 2011.

Russian officials have said they looked into the allegations and consider the matter closed.

COMMENT:  So what now?  That's the question.  The charge is serious enough as it affects the balance of military power.  But simply offering more "dialogue" isn't exactly going to scare the old paint off the Kremlin. 

The U.S. has imposed some sanctions on Russia over its grab of Crimea.  Western Europe is expected to do something as well, although that something may be light.  Russia's attitutes persist.

I'm glad we're speaking out.  But action must be effective in damaging the Russian economy until Moscow comes to its senses.  Don't expect Putin to yield easily when he has President Playdough in the White House.

July 29,  2014