ARTICLE: Russia's Reaction on Missile Plan Leaves Iran Issue Hanging, By CLIFFORD J. LEVY and PETER BAKER, New York Times, September 18, 2009

Key quote here comes from Mark Medish, with whom I attended the Russian Research Center's masters program at Harvard in the 1980s:

Much as in the Soviet days, Moscow's praise can be seen as a political kiss of death for Western counterparts. But the criticism misses the point that Mr. Obama has made a hardheaded calculation based on U.S. national security interests and strategic priorities.

Medish is a very smart guy who's worked Russian issues for a long time, serving high up in the Clinton administration.

We can't conduct relations with other great powers on the basis of caving in to our defense contractors' desires to sell, sell, sell. That would be the tail wagging the dog.