http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=615&u=/nm/20040611/pl_nm/campaign_putin_dc_1
Now this makes me feel comfortable. A guy who basically controls the national media, arrests his enemies when they threaten his rule and will never let himself get voted out of office is angry that opposition party would dare criticize a country’s leader’s military adventurism. With friends like these…
He wasn’t angry. He was replying to pointed questions being asked of him and he basically said that Democrats and Rebulicans are both hypocritical and any condemnation by Democrats of Bush’s belligerent ways is a case of the pot calling the kettle kitchenware.
I don’t even think he was defending Bush. I think he was saying he doesn’t care what any American politicians say about him because they are all hypocrites.
Lemme guess… if he’d ripped Bush and praised Kerry, you’d take this as an indication that Bush had no international credibility.
After all, Kerry’s already told us that foreign leaders support him, so we don’t need to listen to any evidence to the contrary.
I’m reminded of that old joke about sharks and lawyers:
Why won’t Putnin criticize the Republican President of the United States?
Professional courtesy.
Not to take any side on Putin’s remarks, but I do note that when Gorbachov was in office, the Left thought pretty highly of his opinions on what Americans should say and do about arms control, treaties, military readiness, etc.
This despite the fact that he was also a guy who “basically controls the national media, arrests his enemies when they threaten his rule and will never let himself get voted out of office is angry that opposition party would dare criticize a country’s leader’s military adventurism.”.
Just curious where you get this impression of Putin, especially the reference of him as a dictator. I’m guessing you really don’t know, you’re just assuming that he’s bad 'cause he’s Russian. Or that he’s bad because he’s done something you disagree with.
I can tell you that the average Russian doesn’t necessarily consider him a dictator, at least the average Russians I know, and I know a bunch. I can further tell you that many Russians, while disagreeing with the way he is approaching some of his reforms still agree that the reforms themselves are and will be a good thing.
Try a little thinking before posting.
The average Iraqi didn’t consider Saddam a dictator either.
The “sticks his enemies in jail” bit is certainly true, but calling him a dictator is a bit much.
What, they thought he was elected? They imagined him a hereditary monarch?
I hope this was a brain fart.
While agreeing that the Left or the Right prefers to approve of Russian leaders who are more likely to say what they want to hear and also agreeing that Putin is not (yet, at least) a dictator, I would point out that Gorbachev actually released more critics from prison than either his predecerssors or Putin and that he did, indeed, step down from the leadership when the law said he should. Neither of those actions are consistent with your claim that he also “arrest[ed] his enemies when they threaten[ed] his rule and [would] never let himself get voted out of office”.
Technically, Saddam was elected. The people of Iraq have no practical experience with “free” elections; as far as most were concerned, he was a legitimately chosen head of state.
Thanks for letting us know where you’re speaking from, furt. This is a lie promulgated by the Bush campaign.
Sorry; thought I had provided a link:
This is basically a retraction, published by the newspaper that originally misquoted Kerry.
Nonetheless, people like Bush and furt continue, dishonestly, to repeat the misquote rather than the actual quote.