Obama met Gorbachev in run-up to Medvedev talks

Reuters ^ | 3/23/09 | staff

[pissant]

MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama has held talks with Mikhail Gorbachev, a spokesman for the former Soviet leader said on Monday, in the latest sign of Washington's efforts to "press the reset button" on ties with Russia.

Spokesman Konstantin Petrenko said Gorbachev met Obama and Vice President Joe Biden -- who coined the 'reset' phrase last month -- in Washington last Friday. He did not give any details of the discussion.

Bilateral ties worsened sharply last year, with the two countries at odds over NATO expansion, U.S. plans for a missile shield in Eastern Europe, and Russia's war with Georgia.

Visits by veteran politicians have been used by both sides to test the waters before Obama meets Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for the first time on April 1 in London on the eve of a G20 summit. A delegation led by former U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger visited Russia last week and met Medvedev.

[pissant]

Well, at least he's consistent. All of his advisers are communists.

[Oldpuppymax]

The “Evil Empire.” Imagine the shock and despair Reagan would suffer, finding that that phrase now represents our own Washington DC!

[Gator113]

Perhaps it’s because I lived through the Cold War, but when talking to the Russians, I don’t think I would use trigger words such as “buttons”.

The Russians must now see us as weak and stupid. They WILL take advantage of that.

[massgopguy]

“You can’t trust the Russians.” - Jeanne Kirkpatrick at the 1984 RNCC. I was on the coffee table with a Baretta .380.

[Forward the Light Brigade]

Obama should have had Gorby translate the RESET button caption. Why talk to the man who failed to save the USSR? Maybe he can give him advise on what to do when the USA falls apart into five states and the office of President no longer apply s.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thread from the first of the month:

AP Interview: Gorbachev criticizes Putin's party

[Lady Jag]

What did Obama call Gorbachev? Kruschev?

[bert]

Obama is not old enough to remember Kruschev

[Lady Jag]

If he is old enough to remember to remember things that never happened, he’s old enough to remember Kruschev.

[SunkenCiv]

Saw a link to a video, "Reag Against The Machine," on the profile page of a recent new FReeper. Thanks Ernest.

[Marine_Uncle]

"Well, at least he's consistent. All of his advisers are communists."
You nailed that down pretty well as usual.

[LucyT]

From the article:

"White House spokesman Robert Gibbs was pressed at a news conference about why the meeting between Obama and Gorbachev was not previously disclosed and did not appear on Obama's official daily schedule.

"The president tends to roam around the larger (White) House and sometimes walks into meetings that weren't previously on his schedule," Gibbs said."

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

Perhaps it’s because I lived through the Cold War, but when talking to the Russians, I don’t think I would use trigger words such as “buttons”.

I agree. In fact I was shocked when he button we gave was red.

[Liz]

"It's Rahm, Mr President. He sez you were great on 60 Minutes. "

" Forget Kroft's zingers. No matter what happens, we all keep laughing."

"The joke about Special Olympic bowling on Leno will endear you to working
class peons forced to payoff the deficits we are creating to make Democrats rich."

"Rahm says we don't have to tell anyone who you're meeting with. Those damn
judgmental Republicans act like they live in an open and free country, for
crying out loud. We'll show those bozos where they live."

[Thunder90]

Putin can’t wait to get a piece of Obama...