WP: Russian Relations Under Scrutiny

[Rose Siding]

The Bush administration is quietly exploring ways of recalibrating U.S. policy toward Russia in the face of growing concerns about the Kremlin's crackdown on internal dissent and pressure tactics toward its neighbors, according to senior officials and others briefed on the discussions.

Vice President Cheney has grown increasingly skeptical of Russian President Vladimir Putin and shown interest in toughening the administration's approach. He summoned Russia scholars to his office last month to solicit input and asked national intelligence director John D. Negroponte to provide further information about Putin's trajectory, the sources said.
...
The opposite poles within the administration on Russia policy traditionally have been Daniel Fried, the assistant secretary of state for Europe, who is seen as more critical of Moscow, and Thomas E. Graham Jr., the senior director for Russia affairs at the National Security Council, who advocates a closer partnership.

Cheney has weighed in, but it is not clear whether he has recommended specific actions. "They argue for a kind of realism about the problem," a senior official said of the vice president's office. Rice agrees about the problem but wants to be frank without being hostile. "Rice is well equipped to hold that kind of middle ground about Russia," the official said. Administration spokesmen declined to comment on the record about internal deliberations.

Another person close to the discussions said Rice, a Russia scholar, privately believes that pushing Putin too hard on democracy would be counterproductive, and views the issue as a distraction from higher priorities. "You get the impression it was annoyance more than anything else -- 'we got so many other things to think about, we don't need this,' " the person said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/25/AR2006022501399.html

[ConcernedCanuk]

1. "crackdown on internal dissent and pressure tactics toward its neighbors"

.
.
.

Hmmm

Sounds just like that Admin south of our border methinks

:freak:

[neweurope]

3. It's called "projection"

-----------------------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[melody]

2. George is projecting again n/t

[neweurope]

4. Evidently they are trying to carefully provoke the Russians.

They don't miss an opportunity to stir up things.

-----------------------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[HuffleClaw]

5. bwahahahhahaaaa

damn its funny how they always describe perfectly their own evildoings when they rant about this week's 'designated asshole country'.

[wickerwoman]

6. Yeah- 5 years of Bush and we're not back into full-blown cold-War

hostility yet.

Time to get the anaylsts on it. I knew there was at least one country we haven't managed to completely piss off.

[Rose Siding]

10. Tough times (for the bushbots) call for tough talk

That cheney's involved makes me suspect a calculated, admin driven attmept to change the topic. Scary place to start, but that's the point, imo.

[tecelote]

7. Hah!

This journalists missed the Admin's take on it.

They want to sound tough while figuring out how the same tactics will work for them.

Like Bushco cares about us at all!

Those of us making under $200k are simply squirrels on a treadmill to them.

[salin]

8. So when Putin does things like disband the equivalent of the senate

as an elected body to be reformed as an appointed body - and takes power away from courts - bushco does and says nothing about the moves but simultaneously keeps claiming the (current) reason for the war in Iraq is: "promoting democracy."

Russia cracks down on former satellite states and still the WH does/says nothing.

But when Russia starts vocally moving in a different direction per the Iran situation - than years late to the table they voice their first concerns about Putin's old soviet style towards governance?

Interesting.

[Boo Boo]

9. Looks like Cheney ain't to happy about Putin messin' with his casus belli.

:shrug:

[cliss]

11. The key phrase in this article:

"we got so many other things to think about.."

That is the understatement of the century. The State department is trying to put out fires all over the place. Indonesia might be slipping into civil war. Iraq is on the verge of sliding into civil war. Afghanistan is seething under the surface. Saudi Arabia's biggest oil refinery was attacked 2 days ago. Al Qaida promises "more of the same". The entire Middle East is a cauldron, simmering, ready to blow.

Central & South America is making a sharp turn to the left. Hugo Chavez taunts Bush just about every day, threatening to "cut him off if he doesn't shape up.

Nigeria just took 9 hostages, they're threatening to take over the oil refineries there.

A little busy, George?

[lovuian]

12. Russia participated in the NATO manuevers but they went

rogue and stopped into Syria... I think this is Putin's way of telling NATO Russian cruisers are still under Russian command don't ever forget it...