President Barack Obama (D)…acquiesced…to Russian demands that we not deploy missile defense systems in eastern and southeastern Europe to counter intermediate range ballistic missiles that rogue nations, like Iran, might launch against our friends and allies.

Now Russia has deployed a modern missile system in Syria.  This isn’t the S-300 system the Russians sold Iran, though, ostensibly to defend against an air attack (against what in Iran? I’ll leave that as an exercise for the student).

No, this is Russia’s SA-23 missile system.  While it’s a variant of the S-300, this system is optimized for defense against short and intermediate range ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.  The system also is capable of launching smaller anti-aircraft missiles.  (Who in that fight has an air force against which to be defended?)

This SA-23 deployment came as Russian President Vladimir Putin “advised” Obama not to do anything foolish, else there’d be “tectonic consequences” for us.

Obama has chosen to remain silent on the matter.

There’s timidity, and there’s timidity.