who do you need, who do you love when you come undone?

I just love irony. Love it. Love it. Love it. I especially love the finger pointing bedroom antics of two little lovebirds who suddenly can't see eye to eye any longer.
Case in point: Putin and the Bush administration. One is decrying the other's brutal tactics in handling terrorism. Hmm...I think I've commented on this before. Still, as the world turns right or is that burns? Many important historians say that the leaders of nations should watch who they "get into bed with." Then again, history is only useful to those leaders when it supports the State not when it critiques it. This article from truthout.org put a smile on my face. Better than reality t.v.! The Universe really does have a sense of humor. See?


Putin Denounces American "Dictatorship" in Guarded Language
Le Nouvel Observateur Editorial
Sunday 05 December 2004
The Russian President took a shot at United States' policy Saturday, evoking a "dictatorship coated in beautiful pseudo-democratic phraseology."
Russian President Vladimir Putin took a shot at the "globalization" policy of the United States, without naming it, when he evoked an international affairs' "dictatorship coated in beautiful pseudo-democratic phraseology" during a speech published Saturday December 4th by the Russian presidency.
"The new century is often called the century of globalization. That bears within itself possibilities for economic and scientific progress(...) At the same time the attempts to transform a pluralist civilization with many faces created by God (...) according to the principles of a unipolar world seem extremely dangerous," the Russian president declared during a three day visit to India.
The Russian president warned against the development, within this framework, of "all the threats" that "terrorism, large-scale criminal activity and drug trafficking" constitute.
"Geopolitical Games"
"A dictatorship, especially a dictatorship in international affairs, does not settle, and has never settled, these types of problems, even if that dictatorship is coated in beautiful pseudo-democratic phraseology," Vladimir Putin continued during his speech, which he pronounced Friday at the Nehru Foundation and had published Saturday by [Russian] presidential services.
"Only a balanced system based on international law and the international community's ability to fulfill all these norms without exception can lead us to resolution of the difficult missions that confront humanity," Vladimir Putin added.
After evoking the situation in Iraq, the Russian president continued, deeming that there could not be "two weights and two measures."
"With regard to the anti-terrorist struggle, there cannot be two weights and two measures. All the more so, as terrorism must not be used as an instrument for any 'geopolitical games,'" he said.
Iraq
Russia regularly accuses the United States and the European Union of welcoming Chechen representatives whom Russia considers to be terrorists.
Great Britain has given Akhmed Zakaiev, the London emissary of Chechen Independence Movement President Aslan Maskhadov, political refugee status. Washington has done the same for Ilias Akhmadov, Aslan Maskhadov's representative in the United States.
Vladimir Putin expressed his worry over the "escalation of violence" in Iraq.
Russia is "convinced that stabilization of the situation is possible only thanks to the development of a dialogue between Iraqis (...) and supports the UN's desire for a normalization of the situation."
Recalling his attachment to respect for a political process in Iraq, Vladimir Putin deplored "the continuation of intensive combat."
"All that could seriously put into question the possibility of conducting honest and democratic elections in Iraq at the beginning of the year (2005) as planned," he said.
"Global Stability"
He also evoked the presidential election organized in Afghanistan in October, emphasizing that Russia "knew how difficult were the conditions under which they were held."
"We started from the principle that (this election) could not, objectively, allow the interests of the principal political forces to be taken into account in a balanced way," he said.
The Russian president finally considered that "Russian-Chinese-Indian cooperation outside bloc logic will offer a contribution of the greatest importance to global stability and progress."
Vladimir Putin left New Delhi Saturday afternoon for Bangalore in Southern India.
Translation: t r u t h o u t French language correspondent Leslie Thatcher.
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