Russian Bombers Fly Within 50 Miles Of California Coast

by JASmius

Well, this is interesting....:

Four Russian strategic bombers triggered U.S. air defense systems while conducting practice bombing runs near Alaska this week, with two of the Tu-95 Bear H aircraft coming within 50 miles of the California coast, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad) confirmed Wednesday....

Davis said the latest Bear H incursions began Monday around 4:30 p.m. Pacific time when radar detected the four turbo-prop powered bombers approaching the U.S. air defense zone near the far western Aleutian Islands.

Two U.S. Air Force F-22 jets were scrambled and intercepted the bombers over the Aleutians.

After tracking the bombers as they flew eastward, two of the four Bears turned around and headed west toward the Russian Far East. The bombers are believed to be based at the Russian strategic base near Anadyr, Russia.

The remaining two nuclear-capable bombers then flew southeast and around 9:30 P.M. entered the U.S. northern air defense zone off the coast of Northern California.

Two U.S. F-15 jets were deployed and intercepted the bombers as they eventually flew within 50 miles of the coast before turning around and heading west.

A defense official said the four bombers also were supported by two IL-78 aerial refueling tankers that were used for mid-air refueling during the operation this week.

The Obama Regime is dismissing this as a "training mission".  Which I suppose they could test by conducting a similar "training mission" a like distance from Russian airspace and seeing what reaction that gets.  But then if this White House was inclined in such a direction, the Russians probably wouldn't be buzzing our coastline in the first place.

Republicans are a lot closer to what I believe is the truth, but still a ways short:

Representative Mike Conaway (R-TX11), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, called the Russian flights “intentional provocations.”

“Putin is doing this specifically to try to taunt the U.S. and exercise, at least in the reported world, some sort of saber-rattling, muscle-flexing kind of nonsense,” Conaway said in an interview. “Truth of the matter is we would have squashed either one of those [bombers] like baby seals.”

“It’s a provocation and it’s unnecessary. But it fits in with [Putin’s] macho kind of saber-rattling,” he said, adding that he expects Russia will carry out more of these kinds of incidents in the future.

Is it just "muscle-flexing" and "saber-rattling"?  The next question would seem to be, "For what purpose?"  Who is Czar Vlad trying to impress?  His seizure of the Crimea without a peep of resistance from the West and his ongoing subversion of Ukraine is already demonstrating to the planet which country between the United Soviet Socialist States of Obamerika and the Russian Federation, is the true superpower and which is the third-rate pretender.  Sending nuclear bombers to taunt us seems like overkill if that's all Putin is after.

What this latest incursion looks like to me is part of Russian process of probing and gauging our defenses for something a lot bigger:

Retired Air Force Lieutenant-General Thomas McInerney, a former Alaska commander for the North American Aerospace Defense Command, said he does not remember a case of Russian strategic bombers coming that close to the U.S. coast.

“Again we see the Obama administration through their covert—but overt to Mr. Putin—unilateral disarmament, inviting adventurism by the Russians,” McInerney said in an email.

“At the height of the Cold War I do not remember them getting this close. Mr. Putin had to approve this mission and he is just showing his personal contempt for President Obama right after meeting him in Normandy less than a week ago,” McInerney said.

McInerney said no American president has been treated with such disrespect in U.S. history. [emphasis added]

This is about more than disrespect for the American demigod.  This is about building up to, and laying the groundwork and preparation for, what Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping and the burgeoning stable of (external) enemies of America are beginning to believe just might be possible: the "allied" conquest of the United States, or at least its formal elimination as a world power.

Or, in short, a hostile takeover of the Obama Doctrine:

“I have a video transmission off a Chinese satellite coming … to us. How did they get our communications data?” It was yet another security breach.

“Just put it onscreen,” ordered the President.

The transmission was a split screen, the Chinese Premier on the left, the Russian President on the right. They were smiling.

“What do you want?” the President asked.

The Russian President spoke. “We want peace. We want justice. And that is why we are here to provide you the terms of your surrender.”

Now there will be a "historic" Obama speech.