Russia Reveals Meeting of Top Russian and US Military Leaders

This has been a day of many serious happenings and disclosures. And here is yet one more:

America's top military officer, Gen. Joseph Dunford, spoke with his Russian counterpart Gen. Valery Gerasimov, on Tuesday, the same day Gerasimov threatened to target US forces in Syria should they retaliate against the regime's use of chemical weapons.

The call was first revealed by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

"The conversation focused on issues of mutual concern, to include the situation in Syria. In accordance with past practice, both have agreed to keep the details of their conversation private," Col. Patrick Ryder, a spokesman for Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told CNN.

Ryder said the two men had last spoken on Jan. 20.

Earlier on Tuesday, Gerasimov warned the US against any retaliatory strikes over Syria's chemical weapons use, claiming that anti-regime rebels were planning to stage a regime chemical weapons attack and saying any US strike against Damascus would threaten Russian troops.

"The United States of America plan to accuse the Syrian government troops of using chemical weapons, demonstrate so-called 'evidence' of alleged numerous victims among civilians caused by actions of the Syrian government supported by the Russian leadership," Gerasimov told a meeting of Russian military officers convened to discuss the situation in Syria.

"If lives of the Russian officers are threatened, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will retaliate against missile and launch systems," Gerasimov added.

Emphasis mine.

This is very, very serious. It's honestly difficult for me to convey how profoundly upsetting this day has been for me, not only because of everything that has happened, but because it's so evident that many people with power and influence who should be taking it more seriously simply don't understand, or don't care, how serious it is.

I suspect in the future we will look back at this day as one in which it was truly revealed, despite the endemic reluctance to see it, that the United States has been as deeply and disastrously compromised by Russia as any of us could have feared. It's a tipping point.

We have derailed. I don't know how we are going to get back on track.