One small bit of good news on the adoption front: Sean and Robin, who are blogging at "His, Hers & Ours", are in Russia for Trip 1. Best wishes for a happy trip.

But once again, no news on accreditations. And frankly, if anybody in Washington is paying attention, I don't think all the very undiplomatic diplomacy that's going on now is of much help.

On Thursday, David Kramer, a State Department Russian expert rebuked Russia for bullying its neighbors. Speaking to a foreign policy group in Baltimore, Kramer said that recent steps by the Kremlin "reflect negative trends on human rights and democracy inside Russia itself." You can read the full text of Kramer's remarks in this release from the State Department.

I don't know that I buy the New York Times' explanation that Kramer was put up to be the bad cop so that other, more senior administration officials can play the good cop. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice was fairly critical of Russia's take on democracy in a speech in Germany on Thursday. She also, however, termed the relationship between the United States and Russia as one of “cooperation and competition, of friendship and friction” during those same remarks. The full text of her speech is here.

In business news, the folks at the British oil company BP are probably breathing a sigh of relief. According to Reuters, Russia has pushed back a decision on whether it will revoke BP's license for a giant gas field. Reuters says the decision is now likely to be made after the upcoming G-8 summit--and not in BP's favor.

Of course, if Russia really does want in on the World Trade Organization, the maybe a refresher course in free trade and commercial contracts is in order. According to Kommersant, talks between Russia and the nation of Georgia (a former Soviet province) that are crucial to Russia's accession to the WTO broke down on Thursday.

I am not sure what to make of the Russian Customs Service's move to ban exports of medical specimens. According to the RIA Novosti news agency, even Russia's Ministry of Health is distancing itself from the move, which would make it harder for Russian with diseases that can't be treated in their own country to get medical help from abroad.