# Russian dictator agrees: Democrats should not criticize Bush **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 11, 2004, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-dictator-agrees-democrats-should-not-criticize-bush/249844 "2004-06-11T17:30:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-dictator-agrees-democrats-should-not-criticize-bush/249844/1 "2004-06-11T17:30:04Z")
[http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=615&u=/nm/20040611/pl\_nm/campaign\_putin\_dc\_1](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… ---
**Author:** ![leenmi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f1d935/32.png) [@leenmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leenmi)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-dictator-agrees-democrats-should-not-criticize-bush/249844/2 "2004-06-11T17:54:55Z")
> [@](#): > > Putin brushed these off, saying such articles were part of an internal U.S. political debate. > > He went on: "I am deeply convinced that President Bush’s political adversaries have no moral right to attack him over Iraq because they did exactly the same. > > “It suffices to recall Yugoslavia. Now look at them. They don’t like what President Bush is doing in Iraq.” 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. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-dictator-agrees-democrats-should-not-criticize-bush/249844/3 "2004-06-11T18:57:03Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-dictator-agrees-democrats-should-not-criticize-bush/249844/4 "2004-06-11T19:24:03Z")
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._ ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-dictator-agrees-democrats-should-not-criticize-bush/249844/5 "2004-06-11T19:57:17Z")
> [@Apos](#): > > [http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=615&u=/nm/20040611/pl\_nm/campaign\_putin\_dc\_1](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… 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.”. ---
**Author:** ![welby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@welby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/welby)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-dictator-agrees-democrats-should-not-criticize-bush/249844/6 "2004-06-11T20:27:33Z")
> [@Apos](#): > > 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… 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. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2004, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-dictator-agrees-democrats-should-not-criticize-bush/249844/7 "2004-06-12T07:49:34Z")
> [@welby](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2004, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-dictator-agrees-democrats-should-not-criticize-bush/249844/8 "2004-06-12T08:10:21Z")
> [@Really Not All That Bright](#): > > The average Iraqi didn’t consider Saddam a dictator either. What, they thought he was elected? They imagined him a hereditary monarch? I hope this was a brain fart. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2004, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-dictator-agrees-democrats-should-not-criticize-bush/249844/9 "2004-06-12T16:25:44Z")
> [@](#): > > 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.”. 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”. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2004, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-dictator-agrees-democrats-should-not-criticize-bush/249844/10 "2004-06-12T16:26:10Z")
> [@furt](#): > > What, they thought he was elected? They imagined him a hereditary monarch? > > I hope this was a brain fart. 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. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2004, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-dictator-agrees-democrats-should-not-criticize-bush/249844/11 "2004-06-12T16:38:34Z")
> [@furt](#): > > . . . Kerry’s already told us that foreign leaders support him . . . Thanks for letting us know where you’re speaking from, furt. This is a lie promulgated by the Bush campaign. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2004, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-dictator-agrees-democrats-should-not-criticize-bush/249844/12 "2004-06-12T17:02:16Z")
Sorry; thought I had provided a [link](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61433-2004Mar15.html): > [@](#): > > The controversial remarks were made at a Florida fundraiser just after Kerry had finished his speech and his state finance chairman noted that many people abroad shared the view of Democrats here in wanting to defeat Bush. Kerry then was quoted as saying: “I’ve been hearing it, I’ll tell you. The news, the coverage in other countries, the news in other places. I’ve met more leaders who can’t go out and say it all publicly, but boy, they look at you and say, you gotta win this, you gotta beat this guy, we need a new policy, things like that.” > Originally Kerry was quoted as saying, “I’ve met foreign leaders,” but a review of the tape by the lone newspaper reporter at the event showed that Kerry used the word “more” rather than “foreign.” 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.