Bush And Putin Begin Farewell Talks

I was just reading this story at Yahoo News:
President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin opened suspenseful farewell talks Saturday as the White House dropped hopes they would resolve differences on U.S. missile defense plans, one of the most contentious issues in a long list of security disputes.

They opened their meeting with a warm handshake and smiles at Putin's heavily wooded retreat on the Black Sea. Putin took Bush to the second floor of his guesthouse to show off a tabletop display of the 2014 Winter Olympics that will be held here. "This is your yacht," he joked to Bush, pointing at a 3-inch white ship on a blue patch representing the water. Bush chuckled.

In a speech in Croatia before arriving, Bush raised a sensitive point by praising the spread of Western-style democracy across Eastern Europe to Russia's borders. It is matter of considerable concern to the Kremlin as it watches the rapidly growing NATO military alliance push against its door.

In the twilight of their presidencies, Bush and Putin met in hopes of reversing a years-long slide in relations and leaving their successors a broad strategy for more cooperation and less confrontation. The list of grievances between the two sides is formidable.

Bush and Putin and their wives met Saturday evening for an informal dinner. Bush had stripped off his necktie and Putin wore a turtleneck and casual jacket. Dmitry Medvedev, who takes over May 7 as Putin's hand-picked successor, also joined in the meal, which lasted three hours. Bush and Putin will hold their final business meeting Sunday, scheduled for an hour, and then Bush and Medvedev will sit down for a half hour.

Bush and Putin will announce the results of their discussions at a climactic news conference promising a preview of the future of U.S.-Russia relations.

Known for their blunt talk and candor, the two leaders have never been afraid to hide their differences. Their meeting will close a seven-year relationship that got off to a strong start and was strengthen by cooperation after the Sept. 11 attacks, but then turned rocky on differences ranging from the Iraq war to Kosovo's independence. Putin has bristled at Bush's admonishment that Russia has retreated from democracy.

U.S. plans to build a long-range missile defense system in Europe won endorsement at NATO's summit this week, and the White House had hoped Putin would reluctantly accept it, recognizing that he could not stop it. The United States has offered a series of concessions to make it more palatable to Moscow. But apparently not enough.

"We're going to have to do more work after Sochi," White House press secretary Dana Perino said on Air Force One as Bush flew here from Croatia, one of NATO's two new members. Asked about prospects for a deal, she said, "That would be premature." "No one has said that everything would be finalized and everyone would be satisfied with all the preparations because we haven't even started to work on the technical aspects of the system," she said. "But we think the dialogue is headed in the right direction and that this meeting will be able to push that along even further."

Bush and Putin are expected to sign a "strategic framework" to guide future relations, and U.S. officials hope the Russians, in the broad context of that statement, will say they are willing to cooperate on missile defense. That would be short of a Russian embrace of U.S. missile defense plans, but it appears to be the best the administration thinks it can achieve now.

Perino said the framework would deal with security cooperation, nonproliferation issues, counterterrorism and economic matters, and that the language would be broad. "I don't expect a lot of details," she said.

Before coming to Russia, Bush stopped in Croatia to celebrate NATO's expansion eastward in Europe. Croatia and Albania were invited to join NATO, while Macedonia's bid was put off. The two newest members will boost NATO's ranks to 28 nations committed to helping defend each other.

"Henceforth, should any danger threaten your people, America and the NATO alliance will stand with you and no one will be able to take your freedom away," Bush said to cheers from thousands packed into St. Mark's Square. The area has been used for the inauguration of every Croatian leader for the past 700 years and is considered the center of Croatian politics.

The U.S. desire to see NATO admit Ukraine and Georgia — and to keep the door open for others — angers Moscow. In a victory for Putin, the two former Soviet republics were turned away from NATO membership this week. But Bush and his aides have been quick to point out that alliance leaders vowed to eventually open the path to joining, possibly as early as December. Putin's victory, they say, may be short-lived.

Bush pointed out the success of U.S.-supported democratization in the volatile Balkans, where the effects of the breakup of the former Yugoslavia still roil relations between Washington and Moscow. Most recently, the United States and many of its European allies rallied around independence for the Serbian province of Kosovo. Russia, supporting Serbia, strongly opposed that, too. Bush also discussed the importance of security and stability in the Balkans, noting that at their summit in Romania, NATO leaders offered "intensified dialogue" to Bosnia and Montenegro, two other states once part of Yugoslavia.

"The NATO alliance is open to all countries in the region," he said. "We hope that, soon, a free and prosperous Serbia will find its rightful place in the family of Europe and live at peace with its neighbors. With the changes under way in this region, Europe stands on the threshold of a new and hopeful history."

Croatia's former nationalism once made Washington wary, and it drew Bush administration ire by opposing the U.S.-led war in Iraq and refusing to allow U.S. soldiers exemption from war crimes prosecution. But Croatia's emergence as a stable nation in the turbulent region, the pro-Western government it elected in 2000 and its contribution to the fight in Afghanistan more recently has earned it U.S. support.

Would someone Please replace our President with a body "double" immediately, so the "new" one can reverse the course we are now on. We do not need another Cold War in the midst of two Very Hot Ones, and that is what we will get if Bush continues on the path of making the world less safe with his "stick in the eye" ~~ Missile Defense system on Russia's border. He may say it is against a defense against either North Korea or Iran, but it will still be pointed at Russia, and could be retargeted quickly, if we chose to attack them!!

Medvedev Wins In Russia

In a Story just being posted at Yahoo News, Putin, Medvedev pledge a unified path for Russia:
Vladimir Putin congratulated his hand-picked successor on his apparent presidential election victory Sunday and said the win would guarantee the continuity of the course Putin set for Russia.

Dmitry Medvedev, who had about 65 percent of the vote in early results, appeared alongside his mentor in Red Square and vowed to pursue Putin's policies.

"Such a victory carries a lot of obligations," Putin said from the open-air concert stage outside the Kremlin. "This victory will serve as a guarantee that the course we have chosen, the successful course we have been following over the past eight years, will be continued."

Medvedev is expected to formally take over as president in May, and Putin has agreed to be his prime minister, the second highest post in Russia.

"We will be able to preserve the course of President Putin," Medvedev said.
The Central Election Commission said that returns from 15 percent of Russia's electoral districts showed Medvedev with about 65 percent.

Some voters complained of pressure to cast ballots for Medvedev, and critics called the election a cynical stage show to ensure unbroken rule by Putin and his allies.
Sunday's vote came after a tightly controlled campaign and months of political maneuvering by Putin, who appeared determined to keep a strong hand on Russia's reins while maintaining while maintaining the basic trappings of electoral democracy and leaving the constitution intact.

Some in the West have welcomed Medvedev's reputation as a moderate after years of tense ties with Putin over his crackdown on domestic dissent, U.S. plans for a missile defense and Kosovo's independence, among other things.
Few international observers monitored the election, in which accounts of pressure will reinforce Western concerns of backtracking on democracy under Putin.

"The result doesn't matter as this is an illegitimate transfer of power," said former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, a Putin foe who was barred from the ballot.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said; "These are free and democratic elections after a free and democratic campaign."

Some 450,000 police and troops deployed nationwide to ensure the voting proceeded calmly, although two bomb explosions targeted a police convoy near Chechnya, wounding several people.
Though he has never held elected office, Medvedev has had an easy ride toward the presidency. Polls predicted he would take a solid majority of votes against the three other candidates: Communist Gennady Zyuganov, flamboyant ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky and the little-known Andrei Bogdanov of the Democratic Party.

Zyuganov has nearly 20 percent, early results showed.
Liberal opposition leaders Kasyanov and Garry Kasparov, the former world chess champion and one of the Kremlin's most prominent critics, were both squeezed off the ballot on technicalities.

The ITAR-Tass and Interfax news agencies quoted Zyuganov saying he has a list of 200 alleged vote violations and Zhirinovsky as saying he will challenge official vote results in court.
Escorted by a dozen riot police as he spoke to journalists near Red Square, Kasparov carried a plastic shopping bag that read, "I am not participating in this farce."
Zyuganov claimed widespread irregularities but provided no evidence.

Only 300 international election observers were monitoring the 96,000 voting stations across Russia's 11 time zones. The influential Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe refused to send observers, saying Russia imposed such tight restrictions that its mission would be meaningless.

With Medvedev hoping for a powerful mandate, turnout was the only electoral uncertainty. It stood above 60 percent nationwide two hours before the last polls were to close, the Central Election Commission said.
"All of my friends voted for Medvedev, they say he's been elected already and want to be part of majority." said Renata Mukhammetshina, 21, a student in the southern city of Volgograd.

Polling stations offered enticements to voters: discounted food, office supplies, concerts and flowers. That echoed Soviet times, when hard-to-get items were available during carefully staged elections. In a post-Soviet touch apparently aimed to boost turnout, some polling stations were set up in shopping malls.
Moscow street cleaners swept away grime for voting day. In the southern Russian city of Stavropol, public transport was free for the day. In Krasnodar, a local group staged a lottery open only to voters — with a car as the top prize.

In Medvedev's native St. Petersburg, some voters quaffed bargain beer at their polling place. Others showed up for the goods but didn't bother to vote.
Government-paid teachers and doctors across the country complained that they were being pressured to vote at their workplace under the gaze of their superiors to ensure a convincing win and a high turnout for Medvedev.

The head of an independent Russian election monitoring group, Golos, said her organization was receiving a steady stream of complaints and reports of irregularities, including blatant attempts to influence voters and voters being "bought off."
"Most of problems appear to be occurring at the local level" in the provinces, where there is little scrutiny, Liliya Shabanova said.

Observers from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe complained to the election commission about disproportionate campaign airtime given to Medvedev.
Some cast protest ballots, including Alexander Petrov, a 28-year-old trader in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok who voted for Zyuganov because he wanted to "take away votes from the candidate of the ruling powers."

Sofia, 25, a history teacher in a school in southwestern Moscow, said the principal required her and her colleagues to cast ballots at a polling station at the school.
"This is terrible; they are not leaving us any choice," said Sofia, who declined to give her last name out of fear of losing her job. She said she destroyed her ballot in protest.

The new president's major domestic tasks are economic. Russia got rich from skyrocketing world oil prices, but the economy is hugely dependent on natural resources and needs to diversify to ensure long-term prosperity. Inflation — more than 11 percent last year — is undermining the nascent middle class.
Timofei Ryumin, 38, a doctor who lives in Russia's westernmost region, the Baltic city of Kaliningrad, said Medvedev's campaign seems "planned and coherent" and voted for him despite disappointment in the Kremlin's unfulfilled promises to provide cheaper housing for families like his.
"I don't see alternative leaders who could hold a firm grip on power," he said.

May God Help Russia and America, as we are both in deep trouble, with the quality of leaders being provided to us!!

Cold War Redux

In a story I was reading from yesterday, there is one more indication that we may be headed for another Cold War with Russia, as President Bush and President Putin have made many missteps, and has led to mistrust between our two nations.

There is the ongoing flap over the missile defense radar system, that President Bush is trying to install in Poland, supposedly to protect Europe from "rogue" states, that may have nuclear missiles. President Putin does not believe this explanation, and sees it as a threat to Russia, with some good reason. President Bush seems to intentionally to be trying to provoke President Putin, who is trying to keep some respect in the world for Russia's still formidable military power.

Russian bombers have flown to the island of Guam — home to a major U.S. military base — for the first time since the Cold War in an exercise intended to show the Kremlin's resurgent military power, an air force general said Thursday.

President Bush needs to try an renewed "friendship" approach to President Putin, and Russia in general, as we really do not need another "Cold War",in addition to all of our very Real wars at this moment in time.

Cold War

Russia To Suspend Arms Agreement

Well Thank you to President George "who haven't I pissed off yet" W. Bush who has continued to push for a missile defense system in Poland, to the great annoyance of Russia and President Victor Putin, who said they will not such a dangerous event to occur. President Putin even offered a radar station further east to be used by the United States and Europe if they really wanted to have a missile defense system against Iran or North Korea, and not aimed at Russia.

So Russia said Saturday it will suspend participation in a key European arms control treaty, halting NATO inspections of its military sites and no longer limiting the numbers of its tanks and other heavy conventional weapons.

The move, threatened for months, added new tension to relations with the West already strained over U.S. plans to build a missile shield in Eastern Europe, Russian conflicts with its neighbors and Western criticism of Moscow's human rights record. The suspension is to take place 150 days after Russia officially notifies all the countries concerned of its intention. Experts said the move was a symbolic gesture rather than a sign of Russian intent to build up forces near its borders. The Kremlin, they said, appeared to be expressing its dissatisfaction with the perceived U.S. domination of global affairs, and positioning Russia as an unyielding global player.

Please read the story at the end of this link and contact the White House on down and tell them to stop pissing off Putin and do the right thing for once and work toward a common goal!!

ARMS

Putin Warns U.S. And Europe

In an interview this weekend with a reporter from Italy's Corriere della Sera, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that United States plans to build a missile defense system in Eastern Europe would force Russia to target its' weapons on Europe.
This is one of President Putin’s most strident statements to date against the U.S. plans and came just days before he is to join President Bush and other leaders at a Group of Eight summit in Germany.
In the interview, Putin was asked whether the proposed missile defense shield would compel Moscow to direct its own missiles at locations and U.S. military sites in Europe, as during the Cold War and his answer was yes.
In January the United States made a formal request to place a radar base in a military area southwest of Prague, Czech Republic, and 10 interceptor missiles in neighboring Poland as part of plans for a missile defense shield that Washington says would protect against a potential threat from Iran.
The U.S. plans have brought a strong reaction from Russia, which accuses the United States of threatening Russian territory and of trying to start a new arms race.
I think that President Putin is trying to regain much of the power that Russia had in the Cold War days, but he is right on this one issue. We do not need to spend billions on a defense shield that offers minimal defense from the threats that we face. Hell if they want to detonate a nuclear weapon in the United States they'll just drive it across the border from Canada and park it near the White House.
Since Reagan's "Star War" days our goverment has found every costly way possible to keep their defense contractor friends in business and the threats should have changed from the former Soviet Union, to terrorists that will employ any method except missiles to kill us.
Please just give this waste of our treasure a rest and move on to the real threats that this nation faces.



star wars