To Russia with … McFaul

The Washington Independent has named MICHAEL MCFAUL one of the “Top Five National Security Players of 2009.” McFaul, professor of political science and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, is currently serving as the National Security Council’s director for Russia. The citation noted that McFaul traveled to Russia frequently last year to troubleshoot for the Obama administration. “Going forward, McFaul will be working on one of Obama’s major priorities: negotiating a treaty with Russia on nuclear weapons reduction,” the item said. In addition to McFaul, the other four players are Sen. John Kerry; Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan; Samantha Power, senior director for multilateral affairs at the National Security Council; and Denis McDonough, chief of staff for the National Security Council.