by James Ridgeway

Village Voice

02/24/05

Despite the generally cheery press reports of Bush's reunification trip to Europe, the President is sticking hard and fast to a foreign policy that aims to expel evildoers from our midst, i.e., Iran, unless it changes its ways. The President's tone throughout has been more that of a visiting emperor than a unifier -- telling the Russians to shape up and smacking down the Germans for shilly-shallying. ...

Earlier today he made clear to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the U.S. is unhappy about Russia's backsliding on democratic reforms and put out by their offering nuclear technology to Iran. For his part, Putin claims Iran has no interest in building nuclear weapons. As for democracy, he pointed out that Russia has a history of strong czars who have played an important role in the lives of the people. Bush, the BBC reports, 'rejected that notion...

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0509,webmondo1,61504,6.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp