Aug
28
Putin on CNN
August 28, 2008 | 87 Comments
So far it’s just a short clip . Hopefully, CNN will make the whole interview available. But this clip contains what everyone is talking about. Namely, Putin’s suggestion that the Bush Administration provoked this war to help John McCain. I think Putin made a big PR blunder. His words will be sent through the American spin cycle so fast that I’m sure by tomorrow pundits will be calling for blood.
Popularity: 6% [?]
Comments
87 Comments so far
Putin has lost his mind. The Russian Army sent hundreds of tanks and planes to South Ossetia within hours of Georgian Forces crossing the border. How could this be done with out a premeditated plan? Moscow has been angling for a fight and now they got their excuse. To put the blame on Bush is simply a ploy to stir up American’s liberal media. I doubt it will work this time because the evidence is so flimsy. If there is to be regime change, hopefully it will be Putin who will go. He is nothing more than a poor man’s Stalin.
Michael. You didn’t serve in the army for sure. Otherwise you wouldn’t post you “military” bullshit. But you have the right to do it, of course. I understand – freedom of speech etc. (who cares that person has no idea what he is talking about, right?)
text
http://www.rian.ru/politics/20080828/150771441.html
Putin
“Я думаю, что не об этом надо думать, и не надо никого пугать. Не страшно совсем.
Надо просто реально уметь проанализировать ситуацию, посмотреть в будущее и наладить нормальные отношения, с уважением относясь к интересам друг друга.”
+1
“Мэтью – Хотел бы в завершение интервью сказать…
Путин – Можем поговорить. Я никуда не спешу.”
Ружнимагу
Thanks for the transcript link, Ivanov. I have not read it yet. Not knowing what else Putin says but knowing how the media works (everywhere), I’m sure in the US they’ll primarily concentrate in the CNN clip presented by Sean.
I agree with Sean. Unless Putin has VERY STRONG evidence that US personnel was involved in the fighting, Putin made a mistake in saying what he said. Unless, that is, he was actually trying to indirectly sabotage Obama’s campaign. Putin’s words will be a boost for McCain. In a similar vein, any new Russian statements against Saakashvili actually Saak (hopefully, only temporarily)–people, when they feel attacked from outside, naturally rally around their leaders.
“Давайте вспомним хотя бы, как шло интервью маленькой 12-летней девочки и ее тети, проживающих, как я понял, в Соединенных Штатах, которая была свидетельницей событий в Южной Осетии. Как на одном из крупнейших каналов “Фокс ньюс” ее постоянно перебивал ведущий. Он ее постоянно перебивал. Как только ему не понравилось, что она говорит, он начал ее перебивать, кашлять, хрипеть, скрипеть. Ему осталось только в штаны наложить,”
ВВП атжигает
“outside” is very tricky term. Where is “outside” for more than million Georgians living in Russia (many – not far from Kremlin)?
perhaps, Putin had in mind (in the CNN clip posted) the find mentioned here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/29/world/europe/29putin.html?ref=europe
For everything what I,ve read and observed, I don´t have any least (minimum) doubt that somebody in the West has prepared and authorized the Georgia attack on South Ossetia. Nobody would be sufficient crazy to attack Russian peacekeepers without guarantees that the attacker would not be swept of the map by the Russian counterattack. And we know who can, at the present time (nowadays), give this guarantee. It remains to try to discover the motive that took someone to support this irresponsible adventure. Nowadays is not like in the past? Thinking a little bit more and with a little bit of calm, what has changed between today and 2004 or 2006? Answer: American complicated elections and without possibility of use of the terrorism, Iraq or Afghanistan to justify the vote in the republican falcons. How is the trick that can sufficiently make the American electorate scared to support the continuity of an administration marked by the fear of declared and hidden enemies? Single. Just to finance the campaign of a madman to the presidency of Georgia in 2004, to re-equip and train and prepare the Georgian army, to send American troops for exercises of war inside Georgia and to set free the collar that was fastening the crazy dogs of war. The dogs of war planned and made, with long projection and advance, a crisis under measure to fill the people of the United States with fear and necessity of a hard leadership accustomed to war, all it did in order to face the “ fabricated false growing threat posed by Russia”.
He may be smarter than we think.
Putin can claim that he didn’t make this up, but that he’s just amplifying a view that already exists, in the USA, most notably that of Robert Scheer* who was noted in an earlier post here on SRB. If he can add a little bit of US v. US into the PR equation, i.e. Scheer gets invited on…
I think this is more of a deliberate wind up – tweaking the nose of the Eagle so to speak. Sure he made comments about Chechen’s and outhouses etc., but going on to CNN and fluffing his lines?
Not ruling out incompetence, accident or temporary stupidity, Putin is such a total spook that he barely shows up on television (rumors are that he sleeps in a coffin and is having an affair with a retired gymnast half his age!).
Medvyedev’s been in the press recently and now it is Putin’s turn, a classic 1-2 and keeping the Russian side high up in the propaganda war.
They must be luvin’ it.
*Not to be mixed up with the German Navy’s world war II pocket battleship the ‘Admiral Scheer’.
How long will it be before Medvyedev fronts Deep Purple and covers Led Zep’s ‘Whole lotta love’? That would be a genius move for the pint-sized reservoir dog.
I just read the transcript (thanks to Ivanov’s link). Putin did not mince any words and it was certainly an impressive performance–especially if what he stated as facts are indeed facts. I don’t believe that Putin would knowingly state an easily rebutable falsehood while being interviewed by CNN. But is he factually correct? I have some doubts after reading what Ivanov also noted:
“Давайте вспомним хотя бы, как шло интервью маленькой 12-летней девочки и ее тети, проживающих, как я понял, в Соединенных Штатах, которая была свидетельницей событий в Южной Осетии. Как на одном из крупнейших каналов “Фокс ньюс” ее постоянно перебивал ведущий. Он ее постоянно перебивал. Как только ему не понравилось, что она говорит, он начал ее перебивать, кашлять, хрипеть, скрипеть. Ему осталось только в штаны наложить,”
If we look at it in the original English (Sean posted it a few entries ago), we see that Putin was wrong about it. I hate Fox News, but Putin’s characterization of the interview is false. Was it here that someone mentioned that it was actually the Russian dubbing of the Fox interview that had all those things Putin mentioned. Did Putin know that?
Is an English translation of the whole interview available somewhere?
“Did Putin know that?”
You can’t know everything.
“Nobody would be sufficient crazy”
Ahem?
My hunch is that Israel was probing Russia’s defences and it’s will to defend Russian interests, Medvedev being a bit of an unknown quanity. Any Russian involvement in a Iranian counterattack against Israel would surely upset the odds of success Israel would have against taking out Iranian uranium enrichment plants. Just as someone gave the initial go-ahead to Saakashvili, someone in Moscow gave the go-ahead to attack Georgian troops. Israeli-made drones had been pestering the Russian Bear for months, and they finally decide to swat them down. Israel pushed Russia to the wall to determine exactly where the line was drawn in the sand. That Condalezza Rice does not even telephone her Russian counterpart proves her childish irrelevance. The real players are Russia and Israel. I think a major turning point in world history has taken place, under our very noses and it will be very interesting to discover who actually ordered what and of course, why.
Russians versus the Jews! I can’t wait! It’s like a Maccabi-CSKA game, but with nukes!
From the MT today:
In June 2004, when Bush was struggling for re-election amid criticism for going to war with Iraq without just cause, then-President Vladimir Putin announced that Russian secret services had obtained information that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Putin’s announcement appeared to stun the White House, and analysts at the time dismissed it as a clumsy attempt by Putin to help Bush win re-election.
The formal pretext for the U.S. invasion of Iraq — spelled out by Bush in 2003 — was Iraq’s possession of weapons of mass destruction and its refusal to allow United Nations monitors to inspect them. No traces of the weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq.
Michael, you are a knucklehead. Anyone could see the U.S., and the neocons in particular, have been hatching this for a long while.
Putin, being smarter than the idiot in the White House, knew it was coming. Hence, the rapid response of Russian forces.
I agree with Richard. Zionist jews and Israel are behind all of this.
I hereby hypothesize that Richard, Tom, and Carl are all sockpuppets of the same person.
Clearly the pro-Israel lobby is behind such hypotheses.
Damn those clever goyim!
“‘Did Putin know that?’
You can’t know everything.”
True, but he sounded as if he what he was saying was exactly what happened:
“Давайте вспомним хотя бы, как шло интервью маленькой 12-летней девочки и ее тети, проживающих, как я понял, в Соединенных Штатах, которая была свидетельницей событий в Южной Осетии. Как на одном из крупнейших каналов “Фокс ньюс” ее постоянно перебивал ведущий. Он ее постоянно перебивал. Как только ему не понравилось, что она говорит, он начал ее перебивать, кашлять, хрипеть, скрипеть. Ему осталось только в штаны наложить,”
If he, despite his total self-confidence, was wrong about that, what else was he wrong about in that interview?
Kolya, just watch yourself
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lptVAbw5oos
they guy really should shit to his pants…
But there is more funny story.
US is demanding Russia to return 5 seized Humvies or pay half a million compensation.
I see no problem with that. BUT! But first US should provide papers that shows these Humvies BELONGS to US Army
if they can not provide such papers – then these are Georgian trucks and as such – legitimate trophies
So either US admits its direct participation in the war or forget about it.
“If he, despite his total self-confidence, was wrong about that, what else was he wrong about in that interview?”
Who knows? Probably a lot. There usually is when people give interviews. I
n general I think there is a general assumption on the part of people that leaders are (or should be) superhuman — they are never poorly or partially informed, make mistakes, are overworked, lose their temper, make dirty jokes, have affairs, etc.
Has anyone else noticed that great-grandpa McCain likes eye-candy? Between his wife Cindy and Sarah Palin, he’s latched onto two of the hotter women in U.S. politics.
When I was working on the Hill
Strom Thurmond was famous for that. His interns were always haaaawt.
This transcript reminded me of conspiracy theorists I met so many times on the radio. It occurred to me many times that thy most eloquently speak of what they would do if they were in a position to do it.
As for the clip at Fox News. Putin obviously had not seen the original which is also a typical conspiracy theorist behavior. “Слышит звон да не знает где он”.
Chris,
Yes, everyone makes mistakes and all that. And many of us try to warn others about our mistakes once we discover them. But standards change according to context. One thing is to send a comment to this blog, another to write a peer-reviewed paper for a medical journal. One thing is go give an interview for a gossip magazine and another is for a world leader to give an interview during a time of crisis. So yes, I was surprised at Putin’s words about that Fox interview because it seems that he bought the Russian media spin of the story without seeing it himself.
Ivanov,
Sean posted the Fox News interview. It was mildly amusing to see that the story did no go the way the Fox people expected. But to be fair, the presenter was polite and the girl and the mother where able to clearly state that they were saved by the Russians and that Saak was the one to blame.
In other words, Putin was not correct when he said: “Как только ему не понравилось, что она говорит, он начал ее перебивать, кашлять, хрипеть, скрипеть.”
It’s hilarious what you wrote about the Humvees!
“I was surprised at Putin’s words about that Fox interview because it seems that he bought the Russian media spin of the story without seeing it himself.”
Somebody probably just told him and it sounded plausible. You don’t have the time to verify everything.
An interview is not a paper — it’s even less forgiving than a blog post, since you can’t edit what you write before you press “submit.”
So yes, I was surprised at Putin’s words about that Fox interview because it seems that he bought the Russian media spin of the story without seeing it himself.
Putin believing his own bullshit? I’ve thought the Russians have been doing this for the past 3 years.
If they were feeling really vindictive, the russians could always return the humvees dismantled in crates. After all, when Lt. Viktor Belenko defected to Japan in 1976 with his stolen Mig 25, the US returned it to the USSR in 30 crates.
Countries always believe their own bullshit. It is human nature. cough cough Chalibi cough cough Saddam has ties to al-Qaida cough cough Saakashvili is a democrat cough cough the US will help me if I attack South Ossetia cough cough
Countries always believe their own bullshit.
Well, to some extent. But in some countries there remains a hefty percentage who doesn’t buy into it, as opposed to a 90% approval of the one doing the bullshitting.
Please shut-up for our short commercial
……………………….
Glad that you stay with us after commercial
Yes they were. Now read Putin’s words again and find out he said otherwise.
shit!
90 percent approval? Well you must be talking about Saak and Georgia? I don’t remember anyone else (except guy in Turkmenia) who got such number recently.
Well you must be talking about Saak and Georgia?
Yeah? When did he get 90% approval?
I think he means the 94% Saakashvili supposedly got in the presidential election.
Ivanov, it seems that you have childish resistance to concede a point. Putin’s characterization of the Fox News interview was incorrect.
“But in some countries there remains a hefty percentage who doesn’t buy into it, as opposed to a 90% approval of the one doing the bullshitting.”
I seem to recollect a large majority of the US population believing that Iraq engineered 9/11.
Mote, meet beam. Pot, meet kettle. The fact is that people are not rational, and that when somebody from an alien society acts irrationally, we treat it as a grave affront, whereas we blow it off when it happens in our own.
I thought Tim knew that.
I was wrong. Sorry
Kolya.
I have my own eyes and ears. I’ve heard what Putin said. I saw what happened at F*ck News. My English is not that good but good enough to understand what was told by “polite presenter” and the girl. My Russian is VERY good to understand what Putin was saying.
And one more thing – I have NO IDEA what Russian media said about “Fox accident”. As I told I learned about it from “western” sources.
So for those whose Russian is not good enough. Putin said that “polite presenter” was not happy to hear what girl was saying and so he was doing his best – in “polite form” – to interrupt her words. He couldn’t prevent but he coughed, wheezed and screeched. That’s all. Did you see video?
Tim, did you believe in Saddams’s WMD? Just yes or no.
I seem to recollect a large majority of the US population believing that Iraq engineered 9/11.
I seem to recollect it was not a large majority at all.
Mote, meet beam. Pot, meet kettle.
This is an improvement on Latin phrases, but equally inadequately applied. Yes, all countries have people who believe their own bullshit. I’m a Brit, I should know. This being the case does not prohibit an observation that Russia is believing its own bullshit to a greater extent than most.
“This is an improvement on Latin phrases, but equally inadequately applied.”
ephe ho barbaros.
Keep coming out with those logical fallacies if you want,
Hey, what about Saak’s Stalinesque electoral results? This issue seems to have been avoided by ho barbaros.
Tim, did you believe in Saddams’s WMD? Just yes or no.
If my answer is limited to a simple yes or no, then you’re going to have to elaborate on the question.
Do you mean did I believe 100% that Saddam had WMDs? Or do you mean I believed that Saddam might have had WMDs and that it was necessary to find out for sure?
I thought Tim knew that.
I didn’t.
As for my comments on it, any politician who enjoys a general approval or electoral victory around 90% in a reasonably free society is presiding over a population which is believing its own bullshit.
“Or do you mean I believed that Saddam might have had WMDs and that it was necessary to find out for sure?”
How about, were you so persuaded that they probably existed that you felt you had to go and kill a lot of people and destabilize a large area for your peace of mind?
Mote, beam. Pot, kettle. Irrational Anglo -Aamericans, good. Irrational Slavs, bad.
Ivanov, yes I saw the video. Here is a link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5idQm8YyJs4
I thought they made a tempest in a teapot out of it. There is no way that I can say that the guy was rude to the girl or the aunt and I have seen such brakes plenty of times. That’s why I was surprised that Putin brought this up. After watching that clip for the whole lenght of time, do you really think that Putin was correct in saying:
“Он ее постоянно перебивал. Как только ему не понравилось, что она говорит, он начал ее перебивать, кашлять, хрипеть, скрипеть.”
If Putin actually saw the clip in English then I can only say that Putin lied shamelessly when he described the presenter’s actions the way he did. (That’s why I doubt he saw actually saw the clip in English).
I seem to recollect it was not a large majority at all.
According to a poll in 2003, 70% of Americans believed Saddam was “personally involved in the Sept. 11 attacks.”
A CNN poll in 2006, found that 43% still believed that he was personally involved.
A CBS/NY Times poll in 2007 found that “33 percent of all Americans, including 40 percent of Republicans and 27 percent of Democrats, say Saddam Hussein was personally involved.”
How about, were you so persuaded that they probably existed that you felt you had to go and kill a lot of people and destabilize a large area for your peace of mind?
No, I didn’t believe in that either.
According to a poll in 2003, 70% of Americans believed Saddam was “personally involved in the Sept. 11 attacks.”
Fair comment. Dumb fucks.
But I don’t think that a large majority believed he engineered the attacks, I think most people believed it was al-Qaeda, with or without Saddam’s “personal involvement”. As I said, dumb fucks. The way this is presented in the UK is that Americans believe the attack was carried out not by al-Qaeda, but by Saddam Hussein.
Russia was the aggressor in this conflict. The trap was set up by Vladimir Hitler and the Georgians walked right into it. Russia is a sham democracy just like Germany was under Adolf Hitler. The free world needs to stand up to the bullying Russians who dream to return to the old glory days of Soviet Union. Under Putin, Russia will become an evil empire as it already looks like it is today.
Sean.
Is there an option to add one more button to the blog – ?
hmm… Button name was eaten by
stupid WordPress.
It should be:
Do someone really believe Russia can act with there forces against other countries on its own? Do you know how much does Russia spends for it’s army and how much USA do? Do you know how much satellites Russia has and how much USA? The US military bases are all over the world, the Russian military bases – in some of the ex-Soviet republics.
The only thing Russian forces can do is to destroy our mother-earth, but that is what USA forces can also do.
What about the freedom of the media: I’ve read all of the articles (till yesterday) in one of the most popular German magazines (in internet) sueddeutsche.de.
At least all of them are talking about “Russian aggression”, Russian forces in Georgia, … Almost nothing about the Georgian attack on South Osetia’s only city (were fast fully destroyed during this attack), about thousands! of killed peoples, much of them are children, women, old peoples… Almost nothing about the fact that Russian peacekeeping forces had no aircrafts, no heavy artillery, that peacekeeping forces were attacked by Georgians regardless of many international agreements…
Europe has done nothing, USA has done nothing. And only at 8-th August afternoon (in more then 12 hours after Georgian attack) the Russian forces were engaged to save the Russian peacekeeping forces and thousands of peaceful citizens of South Osetia (Georgia)…
All the opinions against Russia were there, but nothing about the Osetia’s opinion, about Russian opinion. No Russian explanation “as is”, only commented.
What should I think about freedom of media? Should I believe into the disinformation by European and US medias?
What about Fox’s Interview – I’ve seen only an Internet version, described by Putin.
Best regards from Russia.
Thanks to all reading it.
Enjoy.
Thanks db. I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry. Such a crude hatch job manipulative and lying editing that seems like a parody. I guess that’s the version that Putin saw…
Did Russians actually believe this bs?
Oh boy. Looks like editing skills at state Russian TV did not improve since they showed the map of Spain, while covering US invasion of Grenada.
It is obvious now that that’s what Putin saw and it serves as yet another proof that when media gets under government control/coercion, the government itself becomes ignorant of reality. Just like Raisa tried to catch Americans at showing her Potemkin Villages during Gorby’s visit to Minneapolis long ago.
I erased my previous comment. After another listen, I think this video was tampered with. Clearly someone did their own voice over. I would like to see another example before I judge the veracity of this translation.
funny video, db
Made exclusively for internal audience (not so many Russian speak English you know). The idea to “translate” coughs – idiotic at its best. As the whole TV industry in Russia. As I said many times before – 5 minutes is maximum time I can look at the screen before I start vomiting (7-8 minutes – for western mAss media stuff).
But what does it change? Go to youtube – and you’ll find even more strong expressions about Foxnews “news” from people who are notsorussianfriendly, don’t speak Russian, never heard what Putin said. But somehow they got same impression as Putin. Why so?
What bs do you mean exactly?
That Georgia attacked Osetia first? Yes they do (though this is my private opinion).
That Foxnews presenter was not happy with what he got? I think yes, they believe.
PS. I didn’t get what was hilarious about US Humvees in Georgia
Hm…Interesting, we are talking about mistakes in Putins speach, but the fact is that thousands of people in South Osetia were killed…Who was interested in that? Why all this started during Olympic Games and before elections in US?
Try here (Explorer only).
Sean and db, what do you mean? Tampered in which way? Those were not the images and audio that Vesti transmitted?
Ivanov, I don’t remember the exact details of the Humvees story, but I found it funny (hilarious) to think of a Pentagon or White House bureaucrat being both angry and embarrassed at the fact that the Russians captured a few brand new US Army Humvees.
The Rutube video is genuine, even though that is hard to believe, you can see the original at Vesti website. It is really worrying that Putin seems to believe the mass media he himself has made tell lies.
In the new ARD interview (Russian version here) he again claims 2.000 civilian deaths in Tskhinvali, with no proof whatsoever (the latest serious figure being 133) and says residential areas in Gori were bombed by the Russians because the Georgians had their flight guidance, fire guidance and radar stations there. Flight leaders in blocks of flats? Thats really serious stuff, isn’t it?
BTW, complete English transcript of the CNN interview now available here.
Are you serious?
Db and Kalle, thanks for providing the other links for Vesti’s report of Fox. Man, what a hatchet job. The original English was bad enough without Vesti’s “special effects.”
Now I can post it in good conscience.
You expect way tooooo much from mAss media, Sean
“(the latest serious figure being 133)”
I have a hard time believing this figure.
However, even if it is true, that’s quite enough.
“Flight leaders in blocks of flats? Thats really serious stuff, isn’t it”
It’s called “missing.”
“Why all this started during Olympic Games and before elections in US?”
That’s sort of obvious, isn’t it?
Really, all the attempts to spin this as malevolent malfeasance on the Russian side have me running to the bathroom, finger up my throat. Imagine, NATO is really all about shelling minorities. Take note, Italy — those Roma will be a problem no more!
“But I don’t think that a large majority believed he engineered the attacks, I think most people believed it was al-Qaeda, with or without Saddam’s “personal involvement”. As I said, dumb fucks. The way this is presented in the UK is that Americans believe the attack was carried out not by al-Qaeda, but by Saddam Hussein.”
I don’t know how it is presented in the UK, but the spin in the US at the time was that Saddam was aiding and abetting Al-Qaida in some never-specified way, and he has WMD, so he might, nay will, pass it on to them, creating a nuclear 9/11. And, you know, all Arabs are the same.
The invasion of Iraq would likely never have gotten the go-ahead without that belief.
I don’t know how it is presented in the UK, but the spin in the US at the time was that Saddam was aiding and abetting Al-Qaida in some never-specified way, and he has WMD, so he might, nay will, pass it on to them, creating a nuclear 9/11. And, you know, all Arabs are the same.
Well that’s not the same as the belief that Saddam Hussein engineered 9/11, is it?
In the UK, it was presented that an outfit like al-Qaeda would not balk at setting off a nuclear device in a western city but, non-state actors being unable to produce their own nuclear device, would have to procure it from a state actor who would be willing to sell. The argument presented was that Saddam Hussein might well be willing to sell such a device under certain circumstances, and having paid attention to the whole process, it was not an argument without merit.
Personally, I always thought that the unsecured nuclear kit lying about following the fall of the USSR was more of a worry, but I was no dismissive of the argument regarding the dangers of al-Qaeda purchasing a nuclear or biological device from Saddam’s Iraq and carrying out a 9/11 style attack.
Chris, there are more than 1,600 civilian deaths in S. Osetia registered officially! With names, date, place, cause of death.
So looting is a minor problem.
“Well that’s not the same as the belief that Saddam Hussein engineered 9/11, is it?”
A lot of people believed this.
I’d like to have a source for the “more than 1,600 civilian deaths in S. Osetia registered officially”, other thans South Ossetian officials saying so.
133 is the figure released by the Russian Prosecutor General. It will probably go up when graves in courtyards are opened, but it will hardly go up to 1,600.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7572635.stm
A lot of people believed this.
Yes. And a lot of people also believe Mossad carried out the attacks.
USA government hijacked, as an US mass media.
very sad about millions of brainwashed. as i know in US there are not enough people WHO STILL CAN USE brain.
Gabba gabba we accept you we accept you one of us!
Chris, nice Ramones’ reference! You are truly a Roman of culture!
Joey, Johnny, Dee-Dee and Markie Romani.