[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."

[Steven W.]

I also heard tonight that GWB personally thanked the Russian intelligence agents who provided the information. This info did not come through the state dept - typical liberal Kerry mindset & stupidity that would presume such sensitive info would be passed through diplomatic channels.

[Destro]

You know something is up when the State Department spokesman Adam Ereli says such a thing in such a manner rather than saying - I don't know any of the details at the moment that I can comment on, etc. Instead the statement is made to seem as if the State Dept is rebuking Bush/Putin.