off topic,
but recent photos of angela merkel who has the same hips and pant suits as hillary,
in contrast to the russians, medvedev and putin,
brings to mind how fit the russian men look in contrast. she looks dumpy.
the two russians look like they’re in control and could kill you.
The old saw about McCain being somewhat “off” after having been tortured and held captive works in his favor too. He comes off as a take no prisoners guy (at least compared to Obambi). Obama is slight, effete and thin-skinned. Maybe people don’t agree now with Iraq decison, but they still agree (if they are truly being honest) that they are glad Bush was Prez on 9/11.
Medvedev and Putin have probably done their share of killing.
Just a guess...........
Americans really do need to think about this, very carefully. There are still some items in re Russia which trouble me:
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The New Yorker, April 05, 2004
The Talk of the Town, December 13, 1999, p. 44.
The fuel, unfortunately, is getting easier to find. United States officials report that on May 29th Bulgaria seized approximately a third of an ounce of weapons-grade uranium at its border. The hot cargo, accompanied by documents in Russian, was concealed in a lead container in a pump stowed in a car. A third of an ounce is not enough for a bomb (Iraq's design, for example, needs thirty-five pounds), but this seizure and others like it show that weapons-grade fuel is beginning to circulate in the black market. Unless the U.N. Security Council can agree on a plan to reinstate meaningful inspections, Saddam may be able to complete his nuclear shopping sooner rather than later.
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The Washington Times, 04/03/2004
Chirac Arrives for Talks With Putin
MOSCOW (AP) -- French President Jacques Chirac became the first western leader to visit Russia's top secret Titov space control center, touring the site Saturday as part of Russian efforts to court the lucrative European satellite-launching business.
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Russia's cash-strapped space program has worked closely with the European Space Agency in recent years, launching ESA satellites and carrying ESA astronauts on research missions to the International Space Station. The Titov space control center is in Krasnoznamensk, about 25 miles southwest of Moscow.
In February, the ESA reached an agreement with Russia to launch Russian Soyuz rockets from France's Kourou launch pad in French Guyana. The launches are expected to begin in about three years.
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Putin and Chirac are also expected to discuss European Union expansion that will include eight countries that were either part of or allied with the Soviet Union.
The continuing violence in the Middle East and the international fight against terrorism are also likely to be on the agenda. The Kremlin said that Putin would also raise the issue of making it easier for Russians to receive visas to travel to France and other EU member states.
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New York Post, 04/02/04
Oil For Palaces
Saddam didn't just use Oil-for-Food to give preferential treatment to Iraqis: He rewarded foreign friends, too. He favored Russian and French contractors, even insisting that all Iraqi oil earnings be paid into just one bank, BNP Paribas in Paris.
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Yahoo, 04/02/04
NATO fetes seven new members but Russia not in party mood
France and Germany, which bitterly opposed the US-led war, have stressed that a United Nations mandate is essential before they can consent to a NATO mission being deployed in Iraq.
"The US believes the alliance should consider a new collective role after the return of sovereignty to an Iraqi government (planned for July 1)," Powell said
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The talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov were another point of controversy blotting the festive atmosphere of NATO's biggest expansion ever.
"We didn't want this enlargement, and we will continue to maintain a negative attitude. It's a mistake," Lavrov told reporters after meeting the NATO ministers.
"The presence of American soldiers on our border has created a kind of paranoia in Russia," he added.
But Latvian Foreign Minister Rihards Piks was defiant.
"The reality of Latvia's history in the last century showed us that the existence of nations is threatened when tyranny prevails," he said at NATO headquarters.