Posted on 03/29/2014 11:35:17 PM PDT by nickcarraway
I looked into his eyes once, and what I saw scared me half to death.
In June 2001, George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin ended their first face-to-face meeting with an outdoor news conference beneath a craggy mountaintop in Slovenia. "Is this a man that Americans can trust?" I asked Bush as Putin glared at me.
"Yes," Bush replied, before allowing Putin to answer a separate question. A few minutes later, the American president elaborated: "I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul, a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country," Bush said, adding a few sentence later, "I wouldn't have invited him to my ranch if I didn't trust him."
While Bush spoke, Putin fixed his eyes on mine—a look so cold and dark that I wondered whether those eyes were, for some unfortunate Cold Warriors, the last thing they saw.
Disclosure: I don't pretend to read people as well as Bush, nor am I a foreign policy expert. Just three months after the Slovenia summit, Putin cooperated with Bush during the 9/11 attacks, and did so more broadly in the months that followed. Perhaps Bush saw goodness in Putin. And perhaps I spotted something else, because Russia's advances on Georgia in 2008 and on Ukraine today suggest that Putin is an easy guy to misjudge.
In the summer of 2008, Putin and Bush were in Beijing for the Olympics when Russian troops moved into Georgia in response to what the Kremlin called Georgian aggression against South Ossetia. Peter Baker of The New York Times described the U.S. response:
(Excerpt) Read more at nationaljournal.com ...
President Putin acted because this was his chance. And he’d have been a fool not to take advantage of it.
He was acting quite rationally and we’re offended that he did.
The West really needs to get over it.
Nothing happens when I go to the link.
What I believe Bush was saying when he said he could “trust” Putin, was that he could trust Putin to act like Putin, which means he would act in his own or Russia’s self interest at all times and would be just as courteous and just as ruthless as a professional poker player at the table of a high stakes game.
The trick, and this is something that Republicans understand instinctively but Democrats can never seem to grasp, is that it IS a serious high stakes game with long range consequences and that whenever a nation has an opportunity to advance its agenda it has a moral obligation to do so.
Russians prefer Conservative Presidents because they know their limits, they know what they can get away with, they know what they can’t get away with, so things remain stable. And Russians like stability.
Democrats, although they provide much in the way of the above mentioned opportunities for mischief, are still viewed by Russians as contemptuous lickspittles who spend too much time kissing the asses of grubby foreigners and nowhere near enough time tending America’s knitting, which is (in Russia’s view and what should be ours) their only real job.
That’s it in a nutshell. Democrats expect to be loved when they betray America, but strangely, other nations look at as an appalling and revolting characteristic in a leader — even if they are willing to take advantage of it.
Let’s be clear about one thing: Georgia did in fact invade South Ossetia in 2008, in a pre-planned operation. No serious person disputes that. Whatever you think of whether or not that was justifed or of Russia’s response, that’s what happened.
Anyone who would try to mislead about that fact has little credibility.
Now, when it comes to S.Ossetia and, more recently, Crimea, Putin and Russia had very little to lose. They are more than willing to eat any sanctions for getting that territory, particularly since all they need to do is make peace with the West once the territory is theirs. That is how Georgia lost its territory, and how Ukraine just lost territory (hence the talks between Putin and Obama ....a repeat of the talks between Putin and Bush after the Georgia beating). The West will be all too willing to ignore Crimea is 'no new' moves arise.
This same situation will be repeated in five years. I'm willing to take bets on the next target country ....there are at least four strong options.
Yeah, the west needs to think, feel, and love Putin as you do. LOL
Certainly, Russia has a tremendous geopolitical interest in Crimea and the Ukraine. That doesn’t mean that they have nothing to lose.Putin has been great at playing weak hands, but they are still weak hands. Grabbing Crimea and the Ukraine is the easy part. At some point, the Ukraine, Chechnya, etc. will likely blow up in Putin’s face.
Since the time of the Mongols (at least) the Ukraine is necessary for Russia to feel secure. Think of it as their Monroe Doctrine. The West may not like it, but they don’t need to get involved until Russia enters Poland.
Blah blah. We chased Putin to a protective stance for his country. And the first time I was in Russia I do recall finding them to be rather steely in nature. They think we are strange for being so gushy and smiley. Ugly Americanism at its best in this piece. Well yes, rocket scientist, when you visit other countries they do have their own unique culture. They are not western - does everyone have to be a carbon copy of the US?
Putin sent Bush a card just recently as I recall and they still consider themselves to be friends from afar.
Agreed.
I would be more concerned about trusting odumbo instead of Putin. I see Putin as someone who will tell it to you straight from the shoulder, a “what you see is what you get” kind of guy. Odumbo on the other hand will not look you in the eye when he speaks. He stammers all over the place trying to get his point across (which to me means he is lying)and his history shows us he cannot be trusted.
I think Putin is using odumbo’s weakness as a tool to give himself more credibility and it is working.
Those who voted for Obama thought that they were making a statement about racism. These people thought that the world would celebrate this. Unfortunately, the world read this as a sign of stupidity and weakness. All the world needed to do is look at Africa to see what would happen in the US.
The world is not unicorns and rainbows. It is aggressive. When it sees weakness (Obama), it takes advantage of it. The Liberals are finally seeing this, although they will never admit it. The US voluntarily gave up its position as the most powerful and respected country in the world. It will not be easy to regain the world’s respect.
The plane disappears (etc, etc), Iran steps out and blames us for kidnapping it almost immediately after it happened, our satellite to protect the east coast was not able to be launched because of a fire in the radar system only hours before the scheduled launch ( and the next launch will not go up for 3 weeks), and now Israel has closed all of their embassies worldwide over a pay dispute. Not sure I am buying the pay dispute to bring home all of your embassy staff worldwide.
Hi Progov.
Thank you for your thoughts; I agree with them.
Decades ago Robert Ringer wrote a book named “Winning Through Intimidation.” Among other things, he examined different power structures in business. He proposed the theory that there are three types in business:
“a. There are only three types of people in the business world
“Type 1: Lets you know that he’s out to get all of your chips. Then he tries to do just that.
“Type 2: Assures you that he’s not interested in getting your chips. Then he tries to grab all of your chips anyway.
“Type 3: Assures you that he’s not interested in getting your chips, and honestly means it. However, in the end, he tries to grab all of your chips anyway.
“b. In business, no one ever does anything for anybody else without expecting to gain something in return.”
If geopolitics were business, Putin is a Type 1. He will take your chips if not thwarted. Obama is a Type 2. He stumbles over himself with his false protestations, and then seizes your chips.
Gwjack
“Well yes, rocket scientist, when you visit other countries they do have their own unique culture.”
Unique in the the different ways that they suck. We have
our own Russian microcosms right here. Like New York and
Kalyfornia and they suck just the same.
“We chased Putin to a protective stance for his country.”
I don’t think the protective stance was for his country
but his own personal power though he has made total fools
of the Obama and F’n Kerry. But then you don’t have to be
a “rocket scientist” to know that.
Of course having democrat and democrat lite presidents
(the past four) has emboldened him. A good conservative
with some guts will slap the punk around like he does the
current regime.
In other words, Putin is just a punk bully, taking advantage
of a weak American president, again. He fears a conservative
president as much as the liberal left do, here at home.
I have spent a lot of time in Russia and had many fun experiences. It doesn't have to be your favorite culture in the world but I enjoy it. Speaking the language helps. Nevertheless it is stupid to expect the entire world to embrace western lifestyles and cultures. Just as there are places I would never go and places I did visit and hated... I would not expect them all to have to be carbon copies of us though.
Oh and remember when we led the bombing of and splitting up of Serbia? That was ok but Putin going for Crimea was not.
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