For the record, that's the best analogy I've heard all year.
One has to wonder why Putin would want to get into a conflict with the U.S. I don't think Russia is nearly as strong as the U.S.S.R. was during the Cold War... what's his game? A power play to move American troops out of the Middle East? That seems extremely risky, though, even if they did benefit from the past oil agreements. Hrm.