OBAMA
"This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility."
"I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir." — Medvedev
The same press corps that spent four years treating any Trump-Russia communication as the story of the century gave Obama's hot-mic promise to relay secret concessions to Putin — through Putin's own surrogate — 72 hours and a shrug. The asymmetry isn't a bug. It's the whole system.