Posted on 09/04/2013 9:49:28 PM PDT by TexGrill
President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday accused U.S. intelligence services of a lack of professionalism for their failure to round up NSA leaker Edward Snowden, whose arrival and subsequent stay in Russia fractured U.S.-Russia relations in early August.
Incidentally, Putin's comments came around the same time that he was originally meant to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama, but Obama canceled that meeting in August after learning of Russia's decision to grant Snowden asylum.
And now, with his remarks on the eve of the G20 Summit in St. Petersburg on Thursday, Putin, himself a former spy, could have hit a nerve — if not for the looming U.S. attack on Syria, analysts said.
In an interview to Russia's state-run Channel One and The Associated Press published Wednesday, Putin responded to various questions about touchy subjects in U.S.-Russia relations.
When asked about Snowden, who found himself the world's most wanted fugitive after leaking top secret documents on U.S. surveillance programs, Putin said U.S. authorities could have grounded the plane that Snowden boarded to come to Moscow from China's Hong Kong just as they did with the plane of Bolivian leader Evo Morales after they suspected that Snowden was on board.
Or, he said, U.S. intelligence officers could have let Snowden leave Russia —which was initially meant to be only a transit stop on his way to another country that would grant him asylum — and then could have grabbed him in a country "with a relaxed security regime," Putin said, the Kremlin website reported.
(Excerpt) Read more at themoscowtimes.com ...
Vlad is having such fun ripping Obe a new rectum each week. He has to know that there are a large group of American conservatives who are laughing along with him. I imagine he is getting quit a chuckle at the irony that those who fought his lot so hard and won are now enjoying his toying with the President of the USA
True enough, but I’d love to see a strong U.S. President put him back in the toybox after the next election. I’m getting a little tired of listening to him.
Yeah I agree!
This will end up being the last face-to-face meeting between Obama and Putin. I imagine that Obama will walk away feeling more like some junior college professor than the President. He is ill-suited for the international stage. The news media might get the big image across to the American public of some four-star character....but Putin is just standing there and shaking his head. Putin is dealing with a guy who never should have gotten past teaching junior law classes at some no-name college.
This will end up being the last face-to-face meeting between Obama and Putin. I imagine that Obama will walk away feeling more like some junior college professor than the President. He is ill-suited for the international stage. The news media might get the big image across to the American public of some four-star character....but Putin is just standing there and shaking his head. Putin is dealing with a guy who never should have gotten past teaching junior law classes at some no-name college.
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