Posted on 02/27/2005 1:37:05 PM PST by 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...
His aides must be getting their info from DU.
Shaking my head over this one.....
Ditto that. I hope --- no, I pray, that Putin knows and understands more about the US than this story indicates.
If it is true, we sure have a lot of work to do. But it also says that he's not nearly the 'crafty KGB guy" as I had thought. Just another ill-informed Euro-lefty.
I'm sure the Ruskies are firing up their Commodore Computers as we speak........
Give me a break, President Bush will not allow a guy like Putin to lecture him on freedom of the media in the US.
This story is as fake as a 3 dollar bill.
Sorry, don't follow him that closely. ;)
even worse......I think his staff is getting their info from "that 70s show".......
Is this really any different from what the people at DU or the Keith Olbermann/Jeff Gannon show believe?
Who were the sources for this fake story? The Russians?
Fired? Nah. Everyone knows Dan's downfall was engineered by Karl Rove. Get that guy on you, and you're toast. Rather's lucky Bush decided to leave him with his life.
By the way, Vlad, did you know Americans have their houses cleaned by pixies? Yep, it's true.
Who's Dan Rather?
that was my first thought, as well.
If this is true we're not dealing with rational people. I think it may be time to dig a new bomb shelter (not a bad investment as we live in tornado country) and lay in some 'Mormon class rations' (one year of food, etc.).
I don't know. The clip I saw was a Russian reporter asking Bush why he fired those reporters at CBS.
Now that is a scary thought, a KGB agent plugged into DU as representing the heart and soul of America!!!
FrankJeff Gannon's sleepover friends got Rather fired...? ;)
ROFL!!!!
Is it possible the Putin hasn't heard of Free Republic? Surely not.
Who is Dan Rather? He is a lying sack of crap.
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