This matters: Putin pissed at Bush and his administration.

[abrock]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/09/07/putin.us/index.html

I know this is news, but its also important to the election. The comment he referred to "we reserve the right to talk with anyone we want" struck me as particularly typical of the Bush administration's international policy.

[Jacobin]

1. Very interesting article

Apparently, the U.S. policy is to continue undermining Russia to keep it weak, as we did by arming Osama to fight Russians in Afghanistan. Wonder what Smirk would do if Putin gave Osama asylum, as we just gave asylum to a Chechen bad guy

[Union Thug]

5. That's the hypocrisy of BushCo

They don't care about terrorism. They only care about 'terrorism' that interferes with US/US Corporate interests. To hell with the rest of the world.

While certainly not a perfect symbiotic relationship, the Soviets were making Afghanistan a more progressive place, liberalizing society, building powerplants and technical institutes. The US exploited the freakish fundie muslims (Osama and co.), and funded them, deliberately increasing the likelihood that Soviet forces would take military action as the US sponsored Islamic fundie nutcakes became better trained and better armed and more deadly in their opposition to the liberalizing forces of the Soviets.

The US instigated the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan NOT because they were concerned about the poor oppressed militant muslims, but because the USSR represented a threat to US imperialism. To hell with the people of Afghanistan, bring on the war.

[EST]

2. This lousy, dim-witted, war-mongering

Grrrr administration is the most horrible thing to happen to this country since...forever. I am so angry and disgusted with this bunch, I can barely type.

[acmavm]

3. So how do the other 68% support?

<snip>

He said polls in Russia show 7 percent support for Bush, and 25 percent for Democratic challenger John Kerry.

<snip>

[rndmprsn]

8. none of the above

[Owlet]

4. Putin's a cynic - but sadly right on

...when he made this observation.

In other comments, Putin said Russia would take its own approach to democratic reform.

"We'll do this at our own pace," he said. Democracy can mean different things in different countries, he said.

"In Russia, democracy is who shouts the loudest," he said. "In the U.S., it's who has the most money."

[newyawker99]

9. Hi Owlet!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[reprehensor]

6. The thought process probably goes something like this...

We've got our Iraq as a festering sore, so let's let them struggle with the Chechens to keep them off-balance.

Callous, but consistent with the inhumane foreign policy the neocons love so much.

[abrock]

7. Take that thought one step further.

That this administration WANTS Russia to have terror problems to help them (Bushco) gain support at home.