The White House has mocked GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney for describing Vladimir Putin’s Russia as the United States’ "number one geopolitical foe," but Vice President Joe Biden is on record making a similar claim.
Asked by NBC’s Brian Williams in 2007 during a Democratic presidential primary debate to list the countries that pose "the biggest threat to the United States," Biden mentioned Russia.
"The biggest threat to the United States is right now North Korea; Iran, not as big a threat, but a long-term threat; and quite frankly, the tendency of Putin to move in a totalitarian direction, which would unhinge all that's going on positively in Europe," he said.
President Obama was recently overheard imploring Russian Dmitri Medvedev to "give me space" on the issue of missile defense until after 2012 election.
"This is my last election," he said. "After my election I have more flexibility."
That comment, as well as Medvedev’s response, has been widely mocked.
"I understand," Medvedev told Obama. "I will transmit this information to Vladimir [Putin]."