CDR Salamander responds to my musing...must read!

I did an earlier blog post (here) and made this closing statement...

 I do wonder though.  CDR Salamander is one of those old skool, cold warriors.  He was playing big boy games in the Atlantic with hard core Russian sub commanders when I was still reading comic books and dreaming of banging my first girl.  Is this nostalgia or an actual thing?  I still hold out hope that we can bring Russia into our camp.

Sal responded on the blog in the comments section and its too good to leave there and needed to be "popped out" so that everyone could drink it in...

Actually, I have no desire to have any possibility for conflict with Russia, or even getting close to it. (I cover this thread more on twitter than my homeblog). We used to have Soviet SSBN between the E. Coast and Bermuda, 15-min SLBM flight from nuclear war. No thank you. I lived through that once, no desire to live through it again. If we could be smart about it, we have more to gain by working with the Russians in certain areas - such as Syria - than giving them reasons to want to restart rivalry. But, if they want to dance, then we have to dance. It didn't have to be this way, but it is. We have done a lot of Russia shows on Midrats if you'd like to get more detail on some of my thoughts.

Just taking a look around the military blogosphere, it seems that everyone is in agreement.  No one wants a fight with Russia.  It will be nasty beyond imagination.  But the part that I highlighted from Sal's response is important.

"If they want to dance, then we have to dance."

Policy wonks and politicians are driving us to a point that the military would rather avoid, but if they want to dance then we have no choice.

Saddle up boys and girls.  Looks like the Cold War is back on.