"Actually Preident Bush gave Putin a chance to be a vissionary and join us in the battle against islmaofascists. Putin dropped the ball because he has dirty hands vis a vis Iraq and food for oil."
Oh, I completely agree. But to be fair, he was in a nasty position on the Iraq deal, even ignoring what we increasingly know about Oil-for-Food. The Russian economy is so dependent on oil exports that it's hard for Americans to fully grasp what he's up against (you will recall that Reagan and the Saudis used this very lever to bankrupt the Soviet Union in the late 1980s), and for us to put Iraq back on the international oil market as a full-steam-ahead producer -- with full Russian help -- simply would have been untenable politically. Putin really had no choice but to oppose us on that, and his taking the wrong side is really quite a lot different in character from France and Germany's actions.
That said, yes, they dropped the ball -- on more than just Iraq, and for other reasons which weren't so "pure" -- and this is an opportunity for them to see the light. We should help them see it.
Perhaps.
I once held out great hope for Putin and markets in Russia.
After his UN shenanigans I felt like a jilted suitor.
And I hold a grudge. :-}