As Trump prepares his kissy face for Putin, a glimpse into the dictator's soul
By Dana Milbank Opinion writer December 27 at 12:32 PM
“Spare us the kissy face.”
It was June 2001 and I was in the Alpine hamlet of Slovenia, where President George W. Bush had just met Vladimir Putin for the first time. I and others were struck by Bush’s praise for the Russian leader as “trustworthy.” Said Bush: “I was able to get a sense of his soul.”
But back in Washington, my editor had no interest in such talk. He rewrote my lead with other news — a tidbit about missile defense — and he moved the “kissy face” stuff about Putin’s soul down to Paragraph 18.
In retrospect, that moment in Slovenia defined the Russia relationship for years to come. Putin had seduced Bush, who only slowly came to understand he had misjudged this adversary’s soul. Putin opposed Bush in Iraq and was unhelpful with Iran. He shut down independent television, sent business leaders who criticized him into exile and prison, ousted democratic parties from government, canceled the election of governors and invaded Georgia.
The kissy-face happened all over again when President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tried to “reset” relations. Russia responded by working against America in Syria, sheltering Edward Snowden, invading and occupying parts of Ukraine, and hacking and meddling in the U.S. elections to defeat Clinton.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/as-trump-prepares-his-kissy-face-for-putin-a-glimpse-into-the-dictators-soul/2016/12/27/558b5b04-cc4c-11e6-a87f-b917067331bb_story.html?utm_term=.07ab8811d3de&wpisrc=nl_popns&wpmm=1
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