bush Praises Repressive Kazakhstan President/Dictator

[RadiDem]

This guy makes Chavez look like a Boy Scout, but since he kowtows to bush, he's AOK

PRESIDENT BUSH once made the authoritarian president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, a focus of his freedom agenda. He urged the ruler of the energy-rich Central Asian nation to allow more freedom for political parties and media and to hold a fair election for president. The effort failed utterly: Mr. Nazarbayev was awarded 91 percent of the vote last December in an election condemned by international observers. Two months later, a leading opponent was brutally murdered by members of the state security forces. In July, Mr. Nazarbayev ignored Western objections and approved a law tightening already-strict controls on the media.

WASHINGTON -- President Bush heaped praise Friday on the president of Kazakhstan, a Central Asian country important to the United States as an oil supplier and war-on-terror ally but which has a political system that stifles dissent.

U.S. concerns over President Nursultan Nazarbayev's heavy-handed rule did not come up when the two leaders appeared before reporters after their nearly hourlong Oval Office meeting. Instead, the two were all compliments in brief comments that came before Bush hosted a private luncheon for Nazarbayev in the White House residence.

Both articles WAPO

[Richardo]

1. Is this the guy who boils his opponents?

[LSparkle]

2. This morning for the first time, I saw a touristy ad for Kazakhstan

Gauzy photography of ancient ruins, a shot of "cosmopolitan" city life (women OUT OF BURKAS!!!) ... very odd. They're definitely using the Bushco "Alternative Reality" playbook. I think the tag line was "Kazakhstan ... Ever Wandered?" Like we should all get on a plane and go to fucking Kazakhstan for a VACATION???? Unbelievable ...

[RadiDem]

3. That ad's been playing on CNN to counter Borat-mania

aint gonna work

[louis-t]

4. He's sittin' on a whoooooo' buncha oil.

[gatorboy]

5. It's Niiiice! n/t

[Cleita]

6. Something that doesn't make the news unless you really dig

at Google is that VP Dick Cheney spends a lot of time in the 'stans. What's up?

[Marnieworld]

7. Throw Nazarbayev down the Well!

So my Country can be Free!


:P