Bush finds the limits of personal diplomacy in Russia, China

Personal diplomacy.

It became the mantra of President Bush's conduct of foreign policy.

Now, the United States' relationship with Russia looks much as it did just before the Cold War ended and the president's father was campaigning for the White House two decades ago. The Saudis continue to go their own way when it comes to pumping oil. And China took over the world stage during the Summer Olympics just concluded — without yielding on its strong-arm human rights practices.

Never mind the tete-a-tetes that Bush conducted at his parents' home in Kennebunkport, Maine, with Russian leader Vladimir V. Putin, the Saudi royalty visit to the Bush ranch in Crawford, Texas, and the distance Bush traveled to demonstrate a friendship with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Michael Abramowitz, writing in today's Washington Post, took a look at the president's reliance on stepping beyond the bounds of formal diplomacy and found that it didn't quite accomplish as much as Bush may have hoped.

He writes: "Many Russia experts say Bush did not understand the true intentions and character of the Russian leader."

But, he notes, White House officials present Bush as being "aggressive but realistic" in how he approaches world leaders.

He quotes Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the National Security Council, who said:

While there are often policy issues that don't exactly go the way we want them to, the situation on the other hand could be much worse if the president did not have a decent working relationship with some of these leaders.

— James Gerstenzang

Photo: Former U.S. President Bush poses with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and current U.S. President Bush. Credit: Sergei Chirikov / EPA 

Comments

[alison shunstrom]

You know the old saying,
” you can fool some of the people some of the time but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time”?

This is certainly a quote for the people of the USA and more to the government.

The problem here is that the USA thinks they can fool all of the people all of the time.

On the contrary Russia has just proved all of the USA wrong and rose to the top of the world through the eyes of the people.

The USA thinks they can manipulate and just keep on continuing their ignorance it is now sheer nonsense a game that will end as I stated a couple of years ago when I said that Russia and China will come as one and defeat the USA.

The USA if stupid and ignorant enough to dare test the strength of Russia they will be proven wrong and to all of the readers out there that continue to call me a terrorist because I simply say the truth all of you need to wake up and listen to the truth for once in your lives and accept it.

I believe fully in my constitutional rights, my freedom of speech and I will not allow President Bush or any other president take that away, something that this country was invaded and taken over by and founded by such laws that could never be altered and when the day comes that it has it is not longer the country that the evil real savages took when they came over invaded and killed the Native Indians for because as still today, they think they are right and better then others and all others have to be their way or no way and that is not the right way.

At the same time I know President Bush will order some of his low life men to detain and abuse me at the border when I take a trip to Mexico to see friends and do some shopping sure he will be so low.

Facts and Truth like it or not Russia has always been feared and they should be for the ones that are jealous of this and continue to not accept the truth.

The USA has pushed and pushed, invaded killed steal cheated and they still continue to try to control the world but they will never control Russia they are too smart more intelligent then any one knows.

When President George Bush thought he was friends with Vladimir Putin that was just his wish and dreams to have some one such as Russia on his side but Russia is more intelligent then following the low tactics that they try to use and for even thinking that Russia would slope so low as to believing in all of the USA lies and underhanded devious ways there will be a price of moral justice to pay.

You can only push one so far and the pushing and the bullying of the USA needs to stop and it will come to a complete stop by the hands of Russia.

The USA needs to back down of their high devil ears and start to try to focus on repairing the land of the USA that is in need more then any other country mentally and physically starting the rebuilding the nations fundamentals, values principals and most important family values once that process has s started the work will need to continue for a long time and most every area.

In other words the game that the devil has been trying to win that the USA plays for him in trying to take over the world that God has created it stops here at Russia's hands and it will not go any further.

The USA is scared to death right now but there will be devious moves still played by them they will continue to use other humans beings to go and do their dirty work in the surrounding areas of Russia the USA will provide weapons and supplies no matter if it totals up to 2 billion deaths they will continue because the fight between God and the Devil is never ending as long as there are followers of the Devil himself and that is what is going on and has been going on it is up to the individuals to take authority of the USA to set this country straight and get it on the right path before the destruction comes from a great cold war that has been long over due by the hands of Russia to the USA.
Alison Shunstrom
ashunstrom@yahoo.com