WikiLeaks Row: Putin Labels US Embassy Cables 'Slanderous'

[Purveyor]

Source: GUARDIAN UK

The Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin, has condemned as "slanderous" a US cable describing him and Russia's president, Dmitry Medvedev, as Batman and Robin.

Speaking in a candid but frosty interview with talkshow host Larry King, the Russian prime minister dismissed suggestions that his tandem style of leadership with his protégé, Medvedev, resembled the uneven power share between the two characters.

"The truth of the matter is, this is about our interaction, which is an important factor of the domestic policies in this country," he said. "But to be honest with you, we didn't suspect that this would be done with such arrogance, with such a push and, you know, being so unethically done."

--SNIP
Putin is described as an "alpha dog" running a state dominated by the security services, while Medvedev is pale, hesitant and "Robin to Putin's Batman".

Putin also dismissed an assessment by the US defence secretary, Robert Gates – revealed in the WikiLeaks documents – that "Russian democracy has disappeared". He pointed out that presidential elections in the US sometimes produced a winner who did not gain a majority of the popular vote.

"When we are talking with our American friends and we tell them there are systemic problems in this regard, we can hear from them 'Don't interfere with our affairs. This is our tradition and it's going to continue like that,'" he said. "We are not interfering. But to our colleagues, I would also like to advise you, don't interfere either the sovereign choice of the Russian people."

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/01/wikileaks-row-putin-reaction-batman-robin

[TwilightGardener]

1. Wow, Wikileaks sure is fun. Isn't this fun?

:eyes:

[Phoonzang]

6. But but but...it hurts our corporate/capitalist establishment....or something like that. nt

[trud]

7. hee hee hee hee n/t

[EFerrari]

8. Bad Wikileaks, holding a mirror up to nature.

Bad, bad. You're upsetting the dueling mafias!

lol

[LaurenG]

2. So, what did he expect? If we got our hands on their stuff

I imagine that would be fun too.

[SkyDaddy7]

3. EXACTLY! Could you imagine what they must have been

saying about BUSH! I know they must have had a field day with him! We did! LOL! Well, despite the fact he & his GOP destroyed so much of our country it may take decades to fix things!

[PassingFair]

4. I'd rather be called "Batman" than "Pooty-Poot" any day of the week....n/t

[Codeine]

5. I do wish Wikileaks could get its hands on more nation's internal wires.

I'd be interested in seeing what they have to say about us - and about each other - under the curtain of assumed confidentiality.