Russian subs detected patroling Myrtle Beach, S.C. for the first time since the Cold War ended. No indication this commander wishes to defect to Montana like Sean Connery.

As a candidate, Joe Biden predicted an international test of the young president within six months; that a President Barack Obama’s initial response would be widely seen as weak; and that it was crucial that Democrats rally to his side. This sub-test just happened today, so we will listen to the crickets chirping for another 24 hours before passing judgment.

But is this the first real international test or are the provocative patrols a result of tests already failed?

After all, candidate Obama expressed moral indifference between the Russian invader and the invaded Georgians when Valdimir Putin first took a portion of Ossetia last fall. A President George W. Bush directed aresenal of the bodies of Secretary of State Condi Rice and a united Georgia, Ukraine, Poland and Czech Republic along with ships and planes prevented Russian advances at the time.

Does anyone pine for The Bush Cowboy now or do we think the community organizer can take on this horse rider:

Since then, President Obama has proposed cutting defense funds for the now operable Strategic Missile Defense; called into question our promises to deploy same on behalf of the above nations; and announced the same less than 48 hours after North Korea launched missile towards his Hawaiian birthplace.

Not to be outdone, the President also caved, today, to NK demands for direct negotiations by sending former President Bill Clinton to Pyong Yang to bring home two journalist hostages.

This all comes less than a week after Russia claimed Georgian forces fired across a border at Russian troops, as an obvious pretext for taking the remainder of Ossetia and all of Georgia. Does anyone think Putin fears Obama like he did Bush?

Also this week, Cuban President Raoul Castro mocked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s suggestion that better relations require concessions by Cuba, with a reply to Obama’s recent reach out legislation relaxing sanctions, by declaring their Communist system to be permanent.

Putin and his Russian government have been enraged for years by the incorporation of former Soviet slave states in Eastern Europe into NATO, but given Obama’s appeasement documented above; his numerous apology tours apologizing to Iran, terrorist sponsoring states (echoed by Bill Clinton today in NK); and his alliance with South America’s biggest socialist in Venezuela against the Rule of Law in Honduras, maybe they have another goal.

Rather than trying to dissuade further NATO expansion, maybe Putin thinks Obama would have America join a new Warsaw pact.

Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer, Examiner.com and Minority Report columns

“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson

Originally published @ Examiner.com, where all verification links may be accessed.