Is the Cold War heating up, or is Bush just being firm?

As the United States and Russia play spy vs. spy, bouncing each others' diplomats back to their home countries, we wonder if this is the end of it as President Bush says or whether it portends a return to Cold War politics.
To be sure, having espionage conducted by those with diplomatic credentials is far from a friendly gesture to one's host nation. Still, we can't imagine that those in the know in Washington, Moscow, Paris, London and practically any other world capital don't know that there's spying going on and frequently who's doing it.
In this instance, four senior Russian diplomats, linked to the espionage case involving senior FBI counterintelligence agent Robert Phillip Hanssen, and 46 others have been given their walking papers as a reaction to evidence of spying and the continued threat of Russian spying. The Russians responded predictably and in kind.
Of course, we must make a firm and public statement that we will not tolerate spies under-cover as diplomats wreaking havoc with American security. But do we seriously expect the Russians to stop spying? Do we intend to stop spying? The answers should be obvious.
Different times: The Russia of 2001 is not the Soviet Union of 1971, even if some Communist die-hards wish it were otherwise. Their nation is now demonstrably weak militarily and economically. Yet it still wields considerable influence in what remains of the Eastern Bloc. And the West needs that influence -- in the Balkans and in some of the former Soviet republics. Further, we can't have Russia feeling justified in selling weapons to the likes of Iraq or other unfriendly nations.
We hope that there are no domestic ulterior motives in Bush's actions. Showing the Russkies who's boss may keep America's cold warriors content, but as the leader of the world's strongest nation, Bush doesn't need to kick sand in the face of the 90-pound weakling.
Bush has moved fairly quickly to allay Russian fears. He said, "I was presented with the facts, I made the decision. It was the right thing to do. Having said that," he added, "I believe that we'll have a good working relationship with Russians. & quot; We trust he's right.