DRUDGE: Putin Grills Bush on Dan Rather

Drudge Report ^ | Sun Feb 27 2005 | Matt Drudge

[West Coast Conservative]

George Bush knew Vladimir Putin would be defensive when Bush brought up the pace of democratic reform in Russia in their private meeting at the end of Bush's four-day, three-city tour of Europe. But when Bush talked about the Kremlin's crackdown on the media and explained that democracies require a free press, the Russian leader gave a rebuttal that left the President nonplussed, TIME magazine will report on Monday.

If the press was so free in the U.S., Putin asked, then why had those reporters at CBS lost their jobs? Bush was openmouthed. "Putin thought we'd fired Dan Rather," says a senior Administration official. "It was like something out of 1984."

TIME's John Dickerson: The Russians did not let the matter drop. Later, during the leaders' joint press conference, one of the questioners Putin called on asked Bush about the very same firings, a coincidence the White House assumed had been orchestrated. The odd episode reinforced the Administration's view that Putin's impressions of America are often based on urban myths fed to him by ill-informed aides.

Developing...

[Fudd Fan]

next on the Tonight Show: "Jay-Walking" asks Vlad Putin who is president of the United States

[hermgem]

Look at those so called fake U.S. elections such as in good old Seattle that Putin pointed to.
After last view the one that got in with triple counting is still sitting in the saddle.
Others, under regular conditions called winners are sitting silently waiting for a judge to get around to looking at the matter.
Apparently silently waiting for judgment does not count as Democracy in Putin's view.

[r5boston]

Not to worry, Michael "fatboy" Moore is already at work on a new documentary to get to the bottom of this cover-up, Bowling for Mary Mapes.

[demlosers]

Notebook
Vladimir Putin, CBS News Loyalist
By



Sunday, Feb. 27, 2005

George Bush knew Vladimir Putin would be defensive when Bush brought up the pace of democratic reform in Russia in their private meeting at the end of Bush's four-day, three-city tour of Europe. But when Bush talked about the Kremlin's crackdown on the media and explained that democracies require a free press, the Russian leader gave a rebuttal that left the President nonplussed. If the press was so free in the U.S., Putin asked, then why had those reporters at CBS lost their jobs? Bush was openmouthed. "Putin thought we'd fired Dan Rather," says a senior Administration official. "It was like something out of 1984."

The Russians did not let the matter drop. Later, during the leaders' joint press conference, one of the questioners Putin called on asked Bush about the very same firings, a coincidence the White House assumed had been orchestrated. The odd episode reinforced the Administration's view that Putin's impressions of America are often based on urban myths fed to him by ill-informed aides. (At a past summit, according to Administration aides, Putin asked Bush whether it was true that chicken producers split their production into plants that serve the U.S. and lower-quality ones that process substandard chicken for Russia.) U.S. aides say that to help fight against this kind of misinformation, they are struggling to build relationships that go beyond Putin. "We need to go deeper into the well into other levels of government," explains an aide. --By John F. Dickerson

From the Mar. 07, 2005 issue of TIME magazine

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1032354,00.html

[Incorrigible]

How ya doin Jomini? Please check in.

This is a cheap suit, bad haircut alert!

[festus]

Does this mean that Dan Blather is a KGB operative?

Ding ding ding we have a winner !!!!

[GVnana]

Oh man. Russia has a long way to go.

[cricket]

They need Fox News!

[Tempest]

I think Putin gets his news from his comrades at the DU.

[cricket]

"Another lie created by a delusional left wing liberal media."

Their delusional Left-wing media or . . .ours?

[bert]

"Putin thought we'd fired Dan Rather," says a senior Administration official. "It was like something out of 1984

Ha Ha HA what a joke. Vlad is pulling the chains and getting results.

What a delicious response. It shows that things are always as they seem and can be manipulated to produce desirable results.

I'm not downing W but complimenting Vlad for excellant gamesmanship.

[Sal]

(At a past summit, according to Administration aides, Putin asked Bush whether it was true that chicken producers split their production into plants that serve the U.S. and lower-quality ones that process substandard chicken for Russia.)

This one is not far off the mark, but he's asking the wrong president. As I remember it, Clinton put the arm on the Russians to sign a contract with Tyson. Tyson froze up a bunch of past the sellbydate chickens and shipped them over. I don't remember what Clinton was using as a carrot to force them to buy from Tyson, but Tyson DID send them crappy chickens.

[hosepipe]

WELL... what was Bush's ANSWER.?..

Putin had a good point.. it WAS the job of the FCC to investigate MSM meddling in an presidential election so open handlely as an arm of ONE PARTY or any election for that matter.. and cBS investigated themselves..

Maybe Putin is NOT so ill-informed.. since the FCC is run by the RINO Powells son.. with a 300 million dollar budget(2004).. and allows outright sedition... NO encourages outright sedition..

Them Russkies had a unique way to say, STFU... fix your own system..

[Mr. K]

Hey! Someone contact JimRob- I could see a whole new line of FR products- high quality pajamas (for nice and cozy late-nite freeping!)