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This story is a lie. Who the f*** know what happened in closed doors between President Bush and Putin. How did these liars in Time magazine got all these dramatic details on Putin aggressive questioning of President Bush and the President inability to respond?

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.

" This story is as fake as a 3 dollar bill."

If any corroboration comes out from the russian government in the next few days would you reconsider?

This is just crazy enough to be true, it simply isn't a credible hit piece for a western audience to buy. I think the idea of the press being almost completely unaccountable to the government is much more alien to putin than the idea of the press literally being directed by a ministry is to us.

This story is as fake as a 3 dollar bill

I guess 3 dollar bills are now legal tender.

Its on tape, and the clips are being shown on tv now.

Later on, a russian media reporter asked the same question, and then recieved an explanation about how US presidents don't get to fire reporters.

Here is what NEWSWEEK is reporting:

When Bush confronted his Russian counterpart about the freedom of the press in Russia, Putin shot back with an attack of his own: "We didn't criticize you when you fired those reporters at CBS."

It's not clear how well Putin understands the controversy that led to the dismissal of four CBS journalists over the discredited report on Bush's National Guard service. Yet it's all too clear how Putin sees the relationship between Bush and the American media—just like his own. Bush's aides have long feared that former KGB officers in Putin's inner circle are painting a twisted picture of U.S. policy. So Bush explained how he had no power to fire American journalists. It made little difference. When the two presidents emerged for their joint press conference, one Russian reporter repeated Putin's language about journalists getting fired. Bush (already hot after an earlier question about his spying on U.S. citizens) asked the reporter if he felt free. "They obviously planted the question," said one of Bush's senior aides.

This is a developing story??

When Bush confronted his Russian counterpart about the freedom of the press in Russia, Putin shot back with an attack of his own: "We didn't criticize you when you fired those reporters at CBS."

It's not clear how well Putin understands the controversy that led to the dismissal of four CBS journalists over the discredited report on Bush's National Guard service. Yet it's all too clear how Putin sees the relationship between Bush and the American media—just like his own. Bush's aides have long feared that former KGB officers in Putin's inner circle are painting a twisted picture of U.S. policy. So Bush explained how he had no power to fire American journalists. It made little difference. When the two presidents emerged for their joint press conference, one Russian reporter repeated Putin's language about journalists getting fired. Bush (already hot after an earlier question about his spying on U.S. citizens) asked the reporter if he felt free. "They obviously planted the question," said one of Bush's senior aides.

Of course, also reported by Newsweek/MSNBC-March 7 issue.

Who needs the KGB when you have the Liberal News Network/print media?