” —In the first days of his presidency, Bush rejected advice from the CIA to wiretap Russian President Vladimir Putin in February 2001 in Vienna, where he was staying in a hotel where the CIA had a listening device planted in the wall of the presidential suite, in need only of a battery change. The CIA said that if the surveillance were discovered, Putin’s respect for Bush would be heightened.
But Condoleezza Rice, Bush’s national security adviser, advised that it was “too risky, it might be discovered,” Suskind writes. Bush decided against if as “a gut decision” based on what he thought was a friendship based on several conversations, including during the presidential campaign. The CIA had warned him that Putin “was a trained KGB agent … [who] wants you to think he’s your friend.” “
This is rather interesting. Like almost all on FR, I have no idea if it is true, but it doesn’t fail the smell test, given the ‘look in his eyes’ stuff with Putin.
Right, I'm sure Putin would be impressed by the ineptitude of the CIA in planting a bug the Russians could discover. That would make the prez look great?
Does Suskind do crack?