Russia said Flying more Missions near U.S. Territory

At a time when we are fighting two wars, we should not be getting involved in dispute with a country that should be an ally. How did we get to this point? I guess with Bush anything is possible. He finds a way of pissing-off just about every country in the world. Now we face the possible return of the Cold War:

Russian bombers are flying more missions than normal near U.S. territory, including Alaska, demonstrating their long-range strike capability, U.S. and Canadian officials said on Monday.

Russian aircraft carrying cruise missiles ran an aviation exercise near Alaska two weeks ago, according to Canadian Col. Andre Dupuis, an officer at the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a U.S.-Canadian operation responsible for protecting both countries' airspace.

"They didn't do it to practice alone. They're making a point, doing it outside of their normal training cycle," he told Reuters. "They maintain capability."

Russian bombers were also tracked last week flying a course toward Guam, a U.S. territory in the Pacific.

Some analysts and defense officials say the flights likely reflect Moscow's desire to display its military muscle to remind Washington of Russia's capabilities and express dismay over U.S. plans to build a missile shield in Eastern Europe.

One defense official called the Russian flights "a little bit of chest pounding, trying to let people know Russia's back in the game."