Russia Official Rejects Cheney Criticism

[cal04]

Russia's foreign minister on Saturday rejected Vice President Dick Cheney's criticism of the Kremlin and said it won't derail Russia's cooperation with the West. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Cheney's criticism that the Kremlin was backtracking on democracy and using energy to blackmail its ex-Soviet neighbors was unfounded. ``We have heard comments like this from the mouths of a politicians of a lower rank, but the vice president of the United States probably should have information that in the last 40 years our country has not once - neither the Soviet Union nor Russia - violated a single contract for the supply of oil and gas abroad,'' Lavrov said in an acerbic statement on the ministry's Web site.

``Obviously this information somehow hasn't been brought to the vice president's attention,'' he said. The statement was the most explicit Moscow response to Cheney's criticism, reflecting strong irritation in the Kremlin over the vice president's remarks Thursday in a speech in Lithuania to Eastern European leaders who govern in Russia's shadow. Lavrov added that the criticism won't undermine Russia's intention to cooperate with the United States in solving global crises.

``I believe that such statements won't undermine efforts that we are making together with the United States, Europe and other leading nations to build a fair world without conflicts where all nations will be developing in conditions of stability and democracy,'' Lavrov said. Russian media and analysts said Cheney's harsh criticism signaled the start of a new Cold War and called his speech a reprise of Winston Churchill's famous ``Iron Curtain'' speech, reflecting growing distrust between Washington and Moscow.


``Democracy is necessary not only internally, but on the international arena,'' Lavrov said in an apparent critical reference to U.S. policies in global affairs.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5803935,00.html

[PATRICK]

1. Still sounds

like the WH is desperately nervous about Russia destroying the Iran gambit. The last time it was fine that Russia chose the high road with the UN which Bush blew past, but this time it is different. The UN has little to do with it anymore. This time they are out and out afraid that a debacle or a barrier that Russia puts up, probably behind the scenes, would really crush the Bush regime.

The bullying response is typical but is not cracking the Russian veneer. What is really going is anybody's guess but considering out self-castration of real intellligence where Bush can't even trust our own CIA not to leave him dangling in the wind the bullying maybe the only thing they can think of doing.

[cliss]

4. Madeleine Albright was interviewed

on AAR a couple of years ago. She was mystified as to what happened when the Bush administration took over in 2000. She said, 'we had set up a system of diplomacy with other countries. It was like a deck of cards, laid out. When Bush came in, they just pushed the cards off the table".

That pretty much sums up the Bush style of "diplomacy".

I've commented many times that they've been more like Riverboat Gamblers, fools who sit at the craps table, blowing on the dice, praying for a miracle. With the world as their ante. They've gambled, and they've had some pretty big losses. But they keep going back to the craps table.

Their style can only attest to one thing: desperation. The white-knuckle, adrenalin in your stomach kind. They've really been hammering Russia lately. They never address China, even though the Chinese have been making public statements to the US.

...desperation.

[TheLastMohican]

2. The Russians call Cheney

"The Wild Cheney", because Dick sound very close to "dikiy" which is "wild" in Russian.
All the papers here in the neighboring region are awash with his lame hysterical banter. There used to be a Communism bogeyman, now it seems Russia is blamed for being too capitalistic. But in fact, it is blamed for conducting independent foreign policy, this is bloody irritating to the hawks in Washington.

[doc mercer]

3. Cheney

Cheny should stick to Jack Daniels and loaded shotguns

[Media_Lies_Daily]

5. Hilarious. Two former democracies haggling about democracy.