Bush, Putin butt heads over democracy

Washington Times ^ | 17 July 2006 | Joseph Curl

[Aussie Dasher]

ST. PETERSBURG -- President Bush and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, yesterday agreed in principle on contentious issues such as the Middle East, Iran and North Korea, but the leaders failed to clinch a key trade deal and clashed over democracy, with Mr. Putin declaring he does not want "the same kind of democracy as they have in Iraq."

During a 30-minute press conference, notable for the chilly body language between the two presidents, the leaders acknowledged that they do not see eye to eye on a host of issues, but said they agreed that Iran should not acquire nuclear weapons and urged all sides in the escalating Middle East crisis to pull back from war.

"I can repeat, it is not in Russia's national interest to see a proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, especially in such an explosive region as the Middle East," said Mr. Putin, who remains steadfast in opposing U.N. sanctions against Iran for its unchecked nuclear ambitions.

The topic is so contentious between the two that Mr. Bush did not even bring it up, National Security Adviser Stephen J. Hadley said.

But seeking to highlight their common ground before the opening of the Group of Eight summit, Mr. Bush said that he and Mr. Putin "agree that we've got to work together to send a common message" to the leaders of Iran and North Korea, both of whom are seeking to develop nuclear weapons, despite international opposition.

"One thing is for certain, that if the Iranians see that the United States and Russia are working together on this issue, they'll understand the seriousness of our intent," Mr. Bush said.

[Stultis]

Putin is right on this one.

No he's not. The principle requirements for democracy (if you don't like the word, just say governance accountable to the people) are a free press, independent judiciary, the rule of law, and transparency in business and capital markets. Despite the violence, Iraq is already at the very least even with Russia on all these criteria. In some, such as a free press, it is far ahead.

BTW, did I say "Puck Futin" yet in this thread? (Never hurts to type it twice. Puck Futin.)

[Stultis]

By the way, I noted when Putin made this assinine, smirking remark, the supposedly balanced and unbiased media pukes in attendance broke into uproarious laughter and applause.

I suppose that makes sense if, like the leftist media, you're permanently stuck in 1971.

[Tailgunner Joe]

Yeah, Putin wants the same kind of democracy as his close allies and clients have in Belarus, Red China, Burma, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, North Korea and Iran.

[mjolnir]

The United States does not suffer from a surfeit of democracy--- on the contrary, the Supreme Court and federal and bureaucracies have moved further and further away from the bounds of democratic controls.

As Aristotle noted, each of the main forms of government have a corrupt form and a better one and President Bush is clearly talking about the latter, as his context makes clear: in virtually any speech where he has talked about expanding democracy in the Middle East and elsewhere, he has not talked about increasing it nearly as much as he has talked about increasing freedom.

As for the Hamas election, it served a great purpose, that of clarity. After it, the liberal left in Israel and America could hold the people of the Palestinian Authority accountable; the delusion that the majority did not support Hamas i.e. support terrorism was shattered.