"I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straight forward and trustworthy and we had a very good dialogue.
"I was able to get a sense of his soul.
"He's a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country and I appreciate very much the frank dialogue and that's the beginning of a very constructive relationship,"
George W. Bush, June 16th, 2001.
From that point Bush and Cheney have been critisizing Putin for any bad Putin actions every step of the way. From the Ukraine, the Baltics, Georgia, Belorusia...
I bet you can't name any of the criticisms? But you remember those meaningless remarks that you cite at the start.