[Destro]

Ah yes the boys at foggy bottom.......

The Russians have not trusted the State Dept since the Kosovo war. They fear that if Kerry becomes president the State dept will resume its drive to take away Russia's near abroad - resumed support for the Chechens, Balkan Muslim extremists, etc.

[MJY1288]

Why would the Russians alert our State Department about a possible terrorist attack? What would the State Dept. do.... Scramble their diplomats?

[struwwelpeter]

Remember Maddie Albright's comment about how "Russia's just too big"? Now that was diplomatic.

[McGavin999]

Uh.....sure.....I know that I was aware of a pending thread to the US, the State Department is the first place I'd think of going. NOT!

[kevao]

I work with two retired career diplomats, one of whose spouse still works at State. I can affirm with all seriousness that the majority of State employees see GWB as a greater "threat" than our true enemies, who are are enemies soley because of GWB's "unilateralism". God help us.

[patriciaruth]

President Bush and Putin set up a backdoor way to send messages to each other via people they trusted. This was done before 9/11 when the two of them hit it off at meetings they had in the spring of 2001.

Vladimir called George personally just before 9/11 and told him about the assassination of the Afghanistan leader by al-Qaeda posing as journalists. He thought it presaged something and was worried.

Their relationship and Bush's understanding of Putin's economic worries is why the word on Iraq was to "forgive Russia, ignore Germany and punish France."

[Straight Vermonter]

US “KNEW NOTHING” OF RUSSIAN WARNING

I guess even the Aussie press is biased. What a horribly misleading title.

[ARCADIA]

I am not even sure why we still have a State Department. Ambassadors are a relic of the distant past, and many of their other functions can easily be assigned to Homeland Defense. Perhaps it is time to pull the plug on the department.

Oh, and yes, why would State need to know about Russian Intelligence? There was no need for them to be in the loop.

[GBA]

Perhaps if he is elected to a second term, Bush can clean up the state department.

[DoctorMichael]

The State Dept. is a pit.

[hinckley buzzard]

Might explain to our Australian friends that the State Department is not the government, far from it. In fact, Most progress in the world, from the creation of Israel to the winning of the Cold War, has been made by working around the obstacles the Striped-pants Boys throw in the way.

If I were in the Executive branch and had sensitive information of this sort, I would keep it away from State also.

[cjmae]

Mr Putin's surprise comments came just two days after a September 11 commission in Washington concluded there was no link between Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda, one of the justifications used by US President George W Bush for invading Iraq.

Man these rats are either blind, dishonest, stupid or all of the above!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jeffers]

Towards the end of and after the Soviet-Afghan war State and Central Intelligence were at loggerheads over who to point our aid towards. State favored Masood and other non-islamist mujas, while CIA wanted to maintain the ISI-Hekmatyr pipeline.

Points being, they often do not work the same side of the street, and just because State didn't know about it doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Both sides work out of the same Embassies, and the proximity sometimes breeds intense competition.

[Just mythoughts]

Sounds like Putin has gotten an advanced copy of that new book called "Imperial Hubris" authored by 'Anonymous', and he wants to set the record straight to some in the deep dark bowels of our government bureaucracy.

[WOSG]

"The Russians have not trusted the State Dept since the Kosovo war. They fear that if Kerry becomes president the State dept will resume its drive to take away Russia's near abroad - resumed support for the Chechens, Balkan Muslim extremists, etc."

Fascinating comment Destro, has some truth to it.
Kerry will be the best friend of the Muslim extremists, unwitting or not, and an enemry to Slavic European interests and Russian power in central asia.

Unfortunately that analysis makes it possible that Putin's comments are dis-info designed to help Bush.

[Future Useless Eater]

...just two days after a September 11 commission in Washington concluded there was no link between Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda

This is the spin of the N.Y. Slimes.
Every member of the Commission rufutes the Slime's spin.

Too bad that part didn't come with a barf alert.