1962 AGAIN? - AT 9:07 A.M. ET:  From Fox News:

MOSCOW — A Russian Air Force chief said Saturday that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has offered an island as a temporary base for strategic Russian bombers, the Interfax news agency reported.

The chief of staff of Russia's long range aviation, Maj. Gen. Anatoly Zhikharev, also said Cuba could be used to base the aircraft, Interfax reported.

The Kremlin, however, said the situation was hypothetical.

"The military is speaking about technical possibilities, that's all," Alexei Pavlov, a Kremlin official, told the Associated Press. "If there will be a development of the situation, then we can comment," he said.

COMMENT:  Joe Biden predicted that Obama would face a severe international test during his first months in office.  We've written here that this test might well come in Venezuela.  The Russians, for historic and nationalistic reasons, would like nothing better than to rerun the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, with the Kremlin winning this time.  It would humiliate the United States, and establish a Russian military presence in Latin America.  The goal would be more political than military.  This deserves watching.

March 14, 2009