Putin Mocks Rice And Gates Foreign Policy And Dismisses Bush Goals
Putin Publicly Rebukes Rice, Gates on Foreign Policy Goals
MOSCOW, Oct. 12 — Two of President Bush’s most senior Cabinet members pitched an unusual new missile defense partnership Friday to Russian President Vladimir Putin, but they received a firm public rebuke as the Kremlin made clear it remains deeply skeptical of the administration’s foreign policy goals.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates spent the day in talks with Putin and their counterparts trying to forge common ground on issues that have divided the two countries and led to the coolest relations since the Cold War. U.S. officials said that as part of their private presentation, they laid out new details of a plan to cooperate with Russia in jointly developing a missile defense system that could protect Europe against possible nuclear-tipped missiles from Iran. Both Cabinet secretaries seemed on the defensive. Putin kept Gates and Rice waiting for more than a half-hour, then greeted them warmly before launching into a harangue about U.S. plans to set up key facilities for the missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic.
The Russian president, who likes to keep opponents guessing, also introduced an issue that American officials had indicated would not be on the agenda: Putin threatened to pull out of a long-standing treaty, known as INF (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces) , eliminating intermediate and short-range nuclear weapons because it covers only Russia and the United States.
Putin seemed to mock the U.S. missile defense plan with biting language. “We may decide someday to put missile defense systems on the moon, but before we get to that we may lose a chance for agreement because of you implementing your own plans,” he told Rice and Gates, according to an Associated Press translation of his remarks in Russian. Putin also warned the United States against “forcing forward your previous agreements with Eastern European countries.”
How many ways must the US be told that it’s Foreign Policy sucks? What do other countries have to do to get the message across that they don’t buy in to the Bush-wacky agenda being forced upon them? Putin is doing everything he can to let the US know he won’t play Bush’s game anymore. Russia’s military games with China should have been a clue. Not that Putin can be trusted, but he is the leader of a formidable country. Russia is returning to World Power status faster than expected. China stands right along side as the fastest growing economic power of the decade. These countries are buddies. They are distancing their administrations from Bush as fast as they can. They don’t trust Bush, either. NO is a 2 letter word, can someone tell Bush what that means? Putin has his own visions of grandeur. Bush is not part of that vision. Bush is the captain of a ship without a wheel and he orders ‘full speed ahead’! We are riding on the Titanic. Russia must be watching all this with humor. Our life rafts are those we elect. If our representatives don’t step up soon and take the helm … well … choose your options, but this is not a ship I will willing go down with.
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October 13th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
When will this administration stop making our country sound and look like the out of touch, and short sighted power we seem to be? Putin runs the largest country in the world. I have studied and researched Russian history for 10 years and can with a clear conscience tell you that our brand of democracy does not work and never will in Russia.
Russians value strength and a certain brutish demeanor in there leaders. From the Czars, to the Soviets to Putin the
do not temper weakness and certainly not pompous US officials who have trod down the democracy them claim to want the world to experince.
October 14th, 2007 at 9:45 am
Why, why, why do they continue to send that jackbooted ditz anywhere? She’s the frigging laughingstock of the world; nobody except shoe salesmen take her seriously.
October 14th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
Justin, Thanks for sharing your insight into Russian mindset. The US has lost its ability to appreciate other cultures … Wait a minute, I don’t recall it ever appreciated other cultures. Maybe that’s a hold over from the colonial British attitude. American flavor of Democracy is not for everyone.
Jolly, man of few words, where would shoe salesmen be now that Imelda Marcos stopped supporting their industry? Condi has taken up the torch for this cause. Maybe she can make the Middle East concentrate on shoes instead of bombs …
October 15th, 2007 at 1:06 am
Over a year ago, China and Russia started making nice on mutual military interests. I certainly don’t remember seeing much coverage of other nations’ war games around the area where the US has set up an unprecedented naval presence in the .. wait for it … Persian Gulf ? !
Global Research.ca has been all over this. If you’ve never given the place the ‘once-over’ twice - or more - you’re missing out.