russian president about u.s. plans for a european defense missile shield. his comments were picked up by an open mike. he told medvedev he needed more space and, quote, this is my last election. after my election i ll have more flexibility. well, this morning at the nuclear summit in seoul, mr. o said arms controls are complex and it s not surprising a deal can t be reached quickly. this is not a matter of hiding the ball. the only way i get this stuff done is if i m consulting with pentagon, if i m consulting with congress, if i ve got bipartisan support, and, frankly, the current environment is not conducive to those kinds of thoughtful consultations. republicans were quick to criticize the open mike comments. speaking in san diego gop presidential contender mitt romney says it appears the president is about to cave in to the russians. that is an alarming and troubling development. this is no time for the president to be pulling his punches with the american people.