Putin: U.S. effort in Iraq is pointles

[cal04]

Source: Associated Press

President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the U.S. war in Iraq was a "pointless" battle against the Iraqi people, the latest jab at Washington from the increasingly confrontational Russian leader.

Speaking during an annual televised question-and-answer session, Putin was asked by a mechanic from the Siberian city of Novosibirsk for his thoughts on comments made several years ago by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who suggested that Siberia had too many natural resources to belong to one country.

"I know that some politicians play with such ideas in their heads. This, in my view, is the sort of political erotica that might satisfy a person but hardly leads to a positive result," Putin responded.

"The best example of that are the events in Iraq — a small country that can hardly defend itself and which possesses huge oil reserves. And we see what's going on there. They've learned to shoot there but they are not managing to bring order.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071018/ap_on_re_eu/russia_putin

[Gman]

1. I wonder what he really said

when Condi started lecturing him again on Democracy in Russia.

[dbt]

2. Unless the point is to make a few people incredibly wealthy!

Pootie-Poot HAS to know this.

[mac56]

3. "political erotica"

Brilliant!

:applause:

[Supersedeas]

5. not too shabby -- but way over Booosh and Condi's head

[deacon]

4. Hey, it makes bush 'relevant'. n/t

[rodeodance]

6. "battle against the Iraqi people,"---whow.

[Bread and Circus]

7. Don't get too sucked in, if Putin were American he'd be a neocon

I kind of view him and Bush as working in parallel. Bush in his American way and Putin in the manner of a Russian.

[JuniorPlankton]

8. You are SO right

This is a great way to describe Putin - the Russian-style Bush.
Just because he disagrees with *, doesn't make him our friend.

[Amonester]

9. Yes, and "diplomacy" is so... quaint.

Treaths of nu-ku-lar mutual-assured-destruction work so much better...

Is this :sarcasm: Really necessary?

[ngant17]

11. I'd say you have your analogies backwards with Russia

A conservative in Russia is a hardline Stalinist or Communist. Joe Stalin was an arch-conservative, something like we had with Reagan.

A liberal in Russia would be someone who is pushing for pure capitalism over there. Maybe like imprisoned oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovskii.

I'd say Putin is somewhere between those 2 Russian extremes, which sort of makes him a moderate.

[cal04]

10. U.S. should name date to withdraw from Iraq: Putin

The United States should name a date to withdraw its forces from Iraq, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

"I agree with the U.S. president, I think he is right when he says you have to take the international contingent out only once the leadership of Iraq is able to keep the situation under control itself.

"Where we differ is that he believes a date for withdrawal should not be named," Putin said, during a nationwide question and answer session on television.

"It is absolutely unacceptable to keep the occupation force in place in Iraq for eternity."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071018/pl_nm/russia_putin_iraq_withdrawal_dc