Posted on 09/22/2004 9:39:54 AM PDT by duckln
The useful idiots of Osama bin Laden Posted: September 22, 2004 1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Patrick J. Buchanan © 2004 Creators Syndicate, Inc.
Of all Ronald Reagan's achievements, among the greatest was that this president who began his term declaring the Soviet Union an "evil empire" was, by the end of his tenure, strolling through Red Square with Mikhail Gorbachev to the cheers of the Russian people.
That the Cold War ended without our tearing our nations to pieces, as Britain and Germany did, was a triumph, especially considering the awesome power of our weaponry. And since the Cold War ended, Americans have seemed to understand the importance of good and strong relations with Russia. The Washington-Moscow connection is among the most critical on the planet.
Why, then, this raft of attacks on President Vladimir Putin over his efforts to consolidate power to combat his terrorist threat?
In late August, two Russian airliners were brought down in minutes by "Black Widow" Chechen terrorists. Days later, a school of Russian children was seized by Chechen terrorists loyal to Shamil Basaev, the Osama bin Laden of the Caucasus. Hundreds were slaughtered in the most barbaric atrocity since 9-11.
After these horrors, Putin acted to centralize power over his Balkanizing country. He called on parliament to approve a plan to let him name the governors of Russia's 89 provinces, rather than have them elected. Most of the governors approved. But Western elites are howling as though Putin were using the Beslan horror as Hitler used the Reichstag fire – to railroad his rivals to Dachau.
In the Washington Post, Robert Kagan of the American Enterprise Institute and the Weekly Standard calls Putin's plan an "unambiguous step toward tyranny in Russia." Putin "is imposing dictatorship," rails Kagan. "Putin is not really 'with us' ... A dictatorial Russia is at least as dangerous as a dictatorial Iraq ... A Russian dictatorship can never be a reliable ally of the United States."
"[T]he aspiring dictator of Russia has forced President Bush to reveal how committed he really is to the cause of democracy around the world." Kagan demanded that Bush denounce Putin – which Bush and Colin Powell both mildly did, infuriating Moscow – and even consider sanctions against Russia.
Query: Have we lost our minds? In Russia, what is vital to us is that we have a stable, friendly government and reliable partner in combating terrorism. How Russia chooses its regional or provincial leaders or parliament is none of our business. What are Western media and politicians doing hectoring Putin and mucking around in Russia's internal affairs?
British journalist John Laughlin has looked behind the attacks on Putin and discovered the "oligarchs" – Russian billionaires who looted the privatized assets of the old Soviet Union, men like Boris Berezovsky and Mikhail Khordokovsky. Putin has run them out of Russian or locked them up. And they have used their vast fortunes to buy up intellectuals in Western capitals to agitate against him.
Also agitating against Putin is the American Committee for Peace in Chechnya, a front group of neocons such as Richard Perle, James Woolsey, Michael Ledeen and Kenneth ("Cakewalk") Adelman.
ACPC wants Bush to cut Putin adrift in the name of democracy. These are the same ideologues who engineered the war to "democratize" Iraq and prevailed on Bush to declare "world democratic revolution" the overarching goal of his foreign policy.
These neoconservatives are demanding that Putin negotiate with the Chechens rebels. Many favor a NATO presence in Chechnya along the lines of the NATO missions in Bosnia and Kosovo.
Putin sees them as pressuring him to negotiate with child-murderers and as pursuing a devious Western strategy to further weaken and break up Russia. In interviews, he has expressed a growing bitterness toward the West – reacting just as Andrew Jackson would have if Czar Nicholas I had loudly demanded that Jackson sit down and start negotiating with the Cherokees.
But the larger question is: Why is Bush still listening to these people? These were the propagandists and agitators for the war in Iraq that may yet cost him his presidency. Nothing they promised has been delivered. They constantly undercut relations with our European allies with their insults. They persuaded Bush to outsource Middle East policy to Sharon, to our national detriment.
Now, they are pushing Bush to distance ourselves from, if not to destabilize Saudi Arabia and Russia.
Why does Bush continue to heed men whose policies have radicalized the Middle East and converted much of the Islamic world into a giant recruiting station for Osama bin Laden?
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Patrick J. Buchanan was twice a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination and the Reform Party’s candidate in 2000. He is also a founder and editor of the new magazine, The American Conservative. Now a political analyst for MSNBC and a syndicated columnist, he served three presidents in the White House, was a founding panelist of three national television shows, and is the author of seven books.
As usual, the Jews are to blame.
Anyway, since Bush's message is to spread the seeds of democracy, it would be hypocritical for Bush to condone Putin's power grab. Why does Putin need to remove the direct election of governors to go after terrorists. Just kill them.
And before anyone says that Bush did a similar thing through the Patriot Act, they are full of it because I cannot think of one of my rights that has been infringed upon due to this Act.
Pat the Joo-hater finds time between daily and nightly shout-show appearances to ramble on....
Hey Pat, didn't Reagan and the cold war prove this?
Please post a source link next time. Thanks.
Buchanan's a joke.
Right about Russia, wrong about everything else.
This was because he cared for the Russian people and their plight under Communism. George W. Bush is right to speak out against Putin going back in that direction. Pat doesn't get that Putin is taking away the peoples right to vote, the most fundamental characteristic of a free society.
Um, Pat, it could be that its because Putin is trying to put a real dent in Democracy. How would you feel if Bush were to say that the people could no longer elect their governors - he would select them. You'd be screaming bloody murder.
Shut up, Pat. Just shut the heck up.
Actually, Bush is to blame for listening to them.
for those who like to read the source link, although I posted the reader friendly article from the link.
Your request gladly taken.
I don't think so. Pat gives them too much credit. W, & we did because of rampant terrorism and unlike the 1990 Democrats we were not going to be blackmailed.
Now if you look at the Balkans, Pat said Serbia was demonized by outraged MSM and we had no business getting involved beyond Slovenia and Croatia. I happen to agree.
If you think of who controls the MSM, and who constituted Clinton's cabinet, what other conclusions can you have? It's really sad you jump to the worn anti seminism card.
Where do you get that bunk? Never say never. Despite being under the boot of Communism, the Russian people managed to drive the Nazis out of Russia before we landed in Normandy. Come on, give credit where it's due.
Being objected about it, Russia since the breakup has been a better ally to us than we to them, but that's another discussion I wouldn't to attempt to prove as I may be wrong.
Go back to bed.
1. You can not be a devout Christian and be antisemetic. It is simply not possible. What do you do? Discount all of Christs teachings? Perhaps I could say you can not be an antisemite and take the teachings of Christ to heart. Comprende'? Almost everything I've read from PB's columns states he has a beef with the administration fightint some one elses war. He is entitled to his opinion, just like you or me. He also has an issue with foreign aid....not just for Israel, but for Egypt, Colombia, etc....
Can you please forward to this thread some valid proof that PB is an antisemite? Thanks in advance
2. you are entitled to your opinion.
3. I was merely pointing out that GWB has many cackling in his ear at any point in time. That fact means nothing. It's what he does based on cackling that warrents it being "his fault"....if there is "fault" at all in his actions.
Our policy on terrorism goes back to the great appeaser, Jimmy Carter. He sided with them in Iran to throw over the Shaw, he gave the terrorist in Afghanistan arms, Reagan, my hero tolerated the policy to check Communism, Clinton sold out to Serbia still following a then outdated policy, and W , his biggest mistake still subscribes to it in regard to Kosovo, Bosnia and Chechnya.
We are being ill advised, and Pat is right. Our biggest allies if we are to win will be 'Christian' nations as is Russia, Serbia, England and Poland.
I can't understand why the neocons are against a strong 'Christian' block and for a little trivia Mel Gibson's passion.
Why shouldn't Israel be included in this list?
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