Medvedev's influence emerging in proposed Western tilt?

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Weir/CSM via WPR's Media Roundup and a WSJ article on the same:  internal leaked report from Medvedev side of the house calls for shift toward US as new strategic direction.  Report allegedly from Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Medvedev.

Dmitri Trenin, the best of Russia observers (and based in Moscow), is quoted in the WSJ piece saying "It's a document that reflects the mainstream in today's Russian political leadership."  Team Obama's new tact is presented as a real opportunity.

Lavrov refers to "alliances of modernization," suggesting a general tilt to the West.

What this says:  Russia alternates between "We're special!" megalomania and "We must imitate the West" humility.  This goes back centuries. Putin represented a strong "special" burst after the chaos of the 1990s, but it only worked while oil was high and mindsets remained narrow.

Now we see an unsurprising rebound in the other direction.

Medvedev--however slowly he moves--continues to impress.

And yeah, it's getting a wee bit harder to tell who's the real power and who's the real power behind the throne.