The New York Times report on Obama's secret letter to the Russians contains this passage:
Mr. Bush never accepted a Moscow proposal to install part of the missile defense system on its territory and jointly operate it so it could not be used against Russia. Now the Obama administration appears to be reconsidering that idea, although it is not clear if it would want to put part of the system on Russian soil where it could be flipped on or off by Russians. Mr. Obama has been lukewarm on missile defense, saying he supports it only if it can be proved technically effective and affordable. Mr. Bush also emphasized the linkage between the Iranian threat and missile defense, but Mr. Obama's overture reformulates it in a way intended to appeal to the Russians, who long ago soured on the Bush administration.
There are a couple of problems with this, besides the fact that the Times has likely exaggerated the entire story (Obama said today that the paper "didn't accurately characterize the letter"). First off, the Russian offer to operate the system jointly involved using a different location for the radar -- Azerbaijan instead of the Czech Republic -- which would have severely impaired our ability to guide an interceptor into any Iranian missile. It was not a serious offer: how could the United States allow the Russians to control access to a multi-billion dollar American military facility. Still, the Russian proposal was countered by a serious offer from the United States that would have allowed the Russian military to participate in the current system. Second, the implication of this last sentence -- that Obama has simply reformulated the U.S. position into something more palatable to the Russians -- is just plain condescending. In other words, Obama knows how to talk to the Russians. Apparently the Russians weren't terribly impressed since they've already rejected the proposal. And why on earth would they accept it when they know Obama is willing to give up American missile defense for nothing. Why would the Russians buy the cow when they're going to get the milk for free.