Over at The National Interest (practically the only mainstream journal that advocates in favor of a sane Russia policy), they have a ‘sneak peak’ of an upcoming article by Thomas Graham entitled, “The Friend of My Enemy.” Graham’s overall point: “As a general rule, we should be prepared to accommodate Russian interests where we can without jeopardizing our own.” I couldn’t agree more. And this guy knows what he’s talking about – he was senior director at the National Security Council for three years and probably saw first hand the application of neocon principles to U.S.-Russian relations. I don’t think the poisonous effect of neoconservatism can be overstated – to the extent that it draws on liberal idealistic principles (its founders were ex-Marxists after all), it has mixed itself up with that group to the point that now the worst assumptions of each line of thought have become the conventional wisdom (America has a historical or religious mission to spread democracy, all peoples everywhere are striving toward the goal of an American-style society, etc.). I agree with Graham – it’s time for some realism in our foreign policy.