Putin "warmly" congratulates Bush on his victory

Gateway to Russia ^ | Nov. 5, 2004 | ITAR-TASS

[FairOpinion]

A telephone conversation was held today between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President George Bush.

The Kremlin press service said Putin warmly congratulated Bush on his re-election as president of the USA. During the conversation both sides expressed confidence that the considerable potential of Russian-US cooperation would be fully realized through joint efforts in the forthcoming period.

The heads of state discussed plans for bilateral contacts at various levels, including the summit level.

[bowzer313]

"The Russian people are a lot more like us than are the Germans or French..."

Whoa, Nellie! How in the world you can make this claim is beyond me!

[MontanaBeth]

Putin-food for oil program, nuff said.

[Capriole]

It would have been sweet if, during this telephone love-fest, Putin had happened to casually mention what his boy Yevgeny Primakov did with the WMD he packed up and trucked away for Saddam. But perhaps their deep friendship does not extend so far.

[stiga bey]

"I do not care if Putin centralizes authority to a degree. So long as there is general freedom for religion, political dissent, and entrepeneurship, Russia could regain much of the position it had under the czars even if Putin is authoritarian."

While it certainly isn't as bad as, say, Pakistan, Russia has none of those three qualities that you mention. Non-Orthodox Christian faiths are considered cults and many are legally persecuted or even banned outright. While you could probably sit in a bar and say what you want about the government much fear of reprisal, you will lose your job and be blacklisted if you are a journalist and say something against Putin. And the state is simply one huge kleptocracy--there is no free enterprise worth mentioning.

Even if none of those things bother you and you don't mind letting Putin "centralize authority to a degree", you should still be concerned about who comes after Putin now that he has eliminated most if not all of the check-and-balance mechanisms in the government. Assuming that he is really our friend, he is nonetheless paving the way for another tyrant.

[bray]

If we give Putin France, will he help us in Iraq??

Pray for W and Our Troops

[ImpeachandRemove]

I might have mis-spoke a little mentioning "freedom of religion". US style, full blown freedom of religion is not a requirement in my book... it never existed under the czars. What I really want is for Christianity (Russian Orthodoxy is OK with me) to displace the atheism of the commie era. I love the way they rebuilt the gigantic cathedral in Red Square that Stalin demolished.

I read the online Russki press and it's quite free-wheeling. For example the Moscow Times.

I understand there is quite a bit of entrepeneurship in Russia right now... people starting up little businesses... a thriving "informal sector". Yes there are problems with government interference with and shaking down of the bigger enterprises. But the economic jackboot appears to be lifted off the common person. Correct me if you know different.

[eagle11]

Russia is so vast and ethnically diverse, the leaders in Moscow tend to get nervous when the provinces out east speak of autonomy. Centralized rule is a practical solution, and the Russians tend to accept this.

[stiga bey]

Yeah, the internet is the one of the few remaining bastions of press freedoms in Russia, probably because not really all that many Russians read it and Putin has had bigger fish to fry so far. But it's only a matter of time.

I suppose the economic issue depends on your point of view. People are certainly doing better, but every single instance of interacting with the government requires a bribe unless you want your paperwork to be "misplaced" for a few years. And I'm not just talking about business transactions--even city morgue ambulance drivers are known to require "incentives" to come pick up dead bodies from grieving relatives. From the highest oligarch to the lowest clerk, the entire country is just one massive graft machine. There is no civil society. Normal, "unconnected" businessmen are losing half of their gross income to bribes, grease payments and protection money. But the thing that really kills me is that the citizenry of Russia doesn't know any better, so they have no incentive to demand better of their government and to hold them accountable. That situation will not improve any time soon.

Don't get me wrong--I'm not a Russia hater. Quite the opposite. But Putin's playing a dangerous game for his own personal and political gain, and Russia still has the capacity to be very dangerous to US interests.

Vsyo Horoshovo

[maine-iac7]

I didn't meant to leave Blair out. We have a powerful coalition: Bush, Blair, Putin, Howard, Berlusconi, Koizumi, Sharon, and many East European countries, not to mention the newly liberated Afghanistan and Iraq. France and Germany pale into insignificance, like yapping poodles.

You are exactly right.

Sounds like a more powerful - and above board - coalition to me - and one that makes France, Germany and her minions in EU pale in comparison. They are so busy fighting with one another over control - and their smaller countries are upset over being rolled over by France and Germany that they will be kept busy with internal squabling while the White Hats get things done without interference's.

So it's a favor they're doing us - getting the heck out of our way. ;o)

[maine-iac7]

The Russian people are a lot more like us than are the Germans or French..." Whoa, Nellie! How in the world you can make this claim is beyond me!

Because I don't confuse the Russian PEOPLE with all being communists - only a small % of the PEOPLE were actually Communists or agreed with Communism.

I had experience with a group from Russia Before Glasnost - half were not communists and half were assigned as watchers...it was very interesting...

We shouldn't throw the baby out with the bath water...

I would hope people of another country would not judge me by our liberals or what they read about us in the foreign press or, for ex., back in the Clinton years, as a country of loose morals and not knowing the meaning of "is." ;o)

[maine-iac7]

But we didn't and gangster capitalism of the worst kind took over. ....Perhaps you're the one with a knee jerk reaction learned from a leftie professor?

Perhaps you remember that Gore had is fingers in the pie re the money that didn't get where it was supposed to - but was in the thick of the Russian mafia fiasco. He aided abetted and profited?

Sorry to disappoint about the "leftie prof" - I got my education from a family - a VERY CONSERVATIVE family who had the brains to think for themselves and taught not to blanket-judge.

I wouldn't condemn all Americans because of the mafia here, and drug lords, and even because of our rabid libs, either. But I'm sure there are counterpart blanket-condemnation of Americans overseas as well as the reverse...

[maine-iac7]

I wouldn't condemn all Americans because of the mafia here, and drug lords, and even because of our rabid libs, either. (mine)

(yours)Here? You're in Russia?Have you ever read Ayn Rand's WE THE LIVING?...

LOL

No...I meant "here" like in the US!

But I have read Ayn Rand's "We the Living" and "Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged" and " Capitalism, the Unknown Ideal" - and I'd love to find a REAL Galt's Gulch... ;o) You probably know that it was Ayn Rand, who was a screen writer in Hollywood at the time Reagan got into the actor's guild and became Pres. of it - that it was she who helped him understand what Communism really is and how to recognize the methods of infiltration preparatory to takeover?

He learned well! Too bad she didn't live long enough to see the end of Communist rule in Russia, from which she escaped as a young girl - but she did know Reagan became Pres. and knew what his goal was.