If Bush pushes criticism, Putin will push back
By Steven R. Weisman The New York Times- Wednesday, February 23, 2005
WASHINGTON President George W. Bush's determined effort to focus on Russia's crackdown on independent business and internal dissent when he meets with President Vladimir Putin this week is likely to get a tart response, according to the Russian ambassador to the United States, Yuri Ushakov.
In written answers to questions submitted by The New York Times before Bush left for Europe, Ushakov said Putin would likely respond to Bush's criticism by raising "our own concerns about the situation in the United States and certain troubling aspects of Washington's policies."
He noted that "parts of public opinion in Russia are not necessarily supportive of some of America's actions in certain regions of the world" and that "there are others who are highly critical of your electoral system."
Ushakov did not offer specifics, but Bush administration officials suggested that he was referring to such matters as the detention of prisoners at Abu Ghraib in Iraq and Guantánamo Bay and the 2000 presidential election, in which the U.S. Supreme Court awarded the victory to Bush over Democratic objections.
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http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/02/22/news/diplo.htmlSo much for the moral high ground. Bush will undoubtably attempt to "look into (Putin's) heart again. Our moron president has been seriously outclassed and outsmarted by world leaders who must view Bush as a mindless dupe.