Powell Concerned by Putin Political Changes

[Khephra]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Tuesday he had concerns about Russian President Vladimir Putin's sweeping political changes.

"In effect this is pulling back (on) some of the democratic reforms, as seen by the international community, that have occurred in the past," Powell told Reuters in an interview.

Putin ordered sweeping changes to Russia's political system on Monday to help combat terrorism but drew quick accusations of exploiting this month's bloody school siege in Beslan to increase his power.

The Kremlin leader told top Russian officials he wanted a new election law to limit the number of political parties and to have full control over nominating regional leaders.



http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=6232775

[UpInArms]

1. gee, Colin, it must be hard to

get that sense of irony back since you lost any and all credibility.

:crazy:

[Catfight]

14. Exactly, Powell has lost ALL credibility and he should be tried for

lying about WMD's, The Weapons of Mass Deceptions!

[prodigal_green]

2. Pot meet kettle, kettle, may I introduce pot.

Jackass. The one person who could have saved our credibility and possibly extended inspections in Iraq downed a big, tall glass of kool-aid prior to addressing the UN.

Colin, I find you the most reprehensible of all. You knew the truth and you knew the world trusted you and you fell to your knees.

Get thee behind me.

[MidwestTransplant]

3. Rove et al: Why didn't we think of that.

[underpants]

4. A power grab after a terrorist attack? Taking advantage of FEAR?

Wow Putin sure is smart. No one EVER thought of that before huh Colin?

[napi21]

5. When I heard this new plan this morning, it sounded like the

return of Russia to Communism. Not surprising Powell would make this call.

[2Design]

13. yes the Cold War is back only now it has bombs and Nukes to

be backed up by Bush....they are looking for the End of times and the rapture.....

EXCEPT everything is on GODs time NOT this nazi idiots

[Norquist Nemesis]

6. Breslan was Putin's 9/11

Powell's criticsm rings hollow.

[russian33]

7. Next week, catch Colin Powell on season premier of SNL!

seriously, people in glass houses...you know the rest

[kskiska]

8. Is he concerned

about Putin's preemptive attack policy, too?

[The_Casual_Observer]

9. "I can work with Putin!"

Putin is about to suspend elections.

[tom_paine]

10. My dear God, the odious, reeking hypocrisy

If I was Comrade Putin, I would come back and say, "Yes, and I am concerned how my soulmate Boosh* is rolling back many democratic reforms in Amerika."

[2Design]

11. when you allow a dictator here in USA you are forcing the rest of

world to defend and fight back against an evil empire.

[snooper2]

12. "in effect pulling back on some"

What p$&&y bullshit kind of wording is that?

Putin wants to be Dictator, and that's all he can say...

[Catt03]

15. Don't forget how Bush made a fool of himself

snuggling up to Putin in Crawford last year. Bush said that he 'could tell that this was a good man and that they would get along great' (paraphrase).

Of course what Bush did was scare the s**t out of Putin, who probably decided that with this guy running the US government, need to go back to the old ways.

Ronald Reagan would just die all over again if he could see all this.

[UpInArms]

17. here are some memories for you

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,718542,00.html

Bush's love of Pootie-Poot Putin

Julian Borger in Washington
Monday May 20, 2002

At a historic summit in Moscow this week, President George Bush will mark what he claims is the final putting to rest of the cold war, by shaking hands with his new best friend, Pootie- Poot.

That, according to today's issue of Time magazine, is the president's nickname for the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. At times of tension between the two countries, we are told, Mr Bush is known to tell his staff: "Get me Pootie-Poot on the phone."

<snip>

"To see the kind of relationship that presidents Bush and Putin have developed and to see Russia firmly anchored in the west," she said, "that's really a dream of 300 years, not just of the post-cold war era".

Time magazine quoted a former Putin aide as saying the Russian leader "devoured an enormous amount of information on Bush and everything related to him".

...more...

Well, it does seem that Pootie-Poot took his lessons much more seriously and he has played *Co for the fool that he is.

[cliss]

18. You have a good memory, Catt.

I recall the same words. And also, remember the back slapping and hugging when little Danny DeVito look-alike Silvio Berlusconi came for a visit? This was at a time when the rest of Europe was turning its back on Bush.

[Malva Zebrina]

16. Powell a lost man who does not care he is lost

After he leaves, he will be remembered as a black man who was Secretary of State. A major accomlishment. He will also rake in a lot of bucks writing memoirs and giving speeches. Why should he care that he lied and thousands and thousands lost their lives becasue of his lies and lack of conscience? He is set for the rest of his life. He prostrated himself to George Bush to gain what he could for himself and his son, Michael. That is it, plain and simple, imo. This guy is no more morally superior or any more clever than any of them in that evil administration even though he has mastered the voice, the rhetoric and the expressions of one who is serious and sober, the one in this adminmistration that is the clear thinking leveler, making difficult decisions. It is all an act. He would have left a long time ago if he were and had any sense of the right thing to do. He is as jaded and corrupt as the rest of them.