Aspiring Right-wing Russian Dictator Endorses Bush

According to The Guardian, right-wing Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who has come under fire recently for instituting policies that pro-democracy critics have decried as a return to dictatorial methods of rule, lent his endorsement to George W. Bush for this year’s highly explosive and world historical presidential election.

Putin’s critics have accused him of reorganizing rule in Russia in order to centralize his personal power over local and regional governments. His new orders have also reasserted the absolute power of his party, practically ensuring reelection for his candidates in “elections.” He expanded his power to control who is elected to the national legislature, his appointees have closed TV stations and newspapers, and he ordered the removal of elected legislators to be replaced by hand-picked lackeys.

Putin claimed that these new measures were necessary to establish “a single chain of command” in order to fight terrorism, provoking negative comparisons between him and Bush. Bush also used self-serving measures and anti-working class economic polices, such as the USA PATRIOT Act, roundups of immigrants, enforcement of racial profiling, tax cuts for the rich, and attacks on worker protections, claiming that they we were needed to fight terror.

Further, Bush’s illegal, anti-democratic and violent interventions in places like Haiti, Venezuela, Palestine, Iraq, the Philippines – under the cover of claiming to spread democracy and fighting terrorism – are seen as models for the type of militaristic activity Putin is planning for the near future.

Putin claimed that a Kerry victory would lead to the spread of terrorism. He said, “International terrorists have set as their goal inflicting the maximum damage to Bush, to prevent his election to a second term.” Putin’s argument might as well have been scripted from the Republican Party’s talking points that erroneously claim that Osama and his ilk want Kerry to win.

It is clear that Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda have benefited from Bush’s style of leadership. The administration’s obsession with taking war to Iraq (first discussed at the very first foreign policy meeting held by Bush officials) certainly sidelined the effort to capture Bin Laden and to dismantle Al-Qaeda.

The illegal war on Iraq simultaneously gave the appearance of credence to Bin Laden’s criticism of the US for disaffected people who now legitimately regard themselves as victims of US militarism. Even US intelligence suggests a growth in the numbers in Al-Qaeda-linked organizations and individuals. Iraq wasn’t a center for terror-related activities until the US war and occupation.

Bush’s failure to build a real international coalition to confront terrorism has sent the terrible signal that Bush wants his interests (and the neo-conservative agenda) advanced over the interests of the international community. In Bush’s view, the countries of the world can either join his coalition in support of his interests or they will become his opponents. Vetoing a true international coalition has enabled Al-Qaeda and the terrorist-style of political activity to survive and even flourish.

Putin’s endorsement of Bush comes on the heels of three miserable performances by Bush in debates with Senator John Kerry erasing Bush’s post-convention bounce that gave him a lead in the polls throughout much of September.

The Russian dictator’s intervention in this election arose just as it has become more obvious to US voters that Bush isn’t capable of intelligently handling international issues nor is he in sync with their views on most domestic issues: creating jobs, protecting their civil rights and liberties, supporting public education, investing the needed resources in public health, providing a real plan for universal health care, working-class tax breaks and so on.

Of import also, Putin’s support for Bush’s reelection comes after only very mild acknowledgment by the Bush administration of Putin’s anti-democratic restructuring of the Russian political system. Did Bush exchange a mild response to Russian’s power grab for his endorsement? What does this say about Bush’s leadership style? What will happen if the unsuspecting US public hands its vote to the conservative authoritarian Bush?

Putin sees his own image in Bush. The question for US voters is will Bush refashion himself in Putin’s image if given the opportunity and faced with surrendering the reigns of government?



--Joel Wendland is managing editor of Political Affairs and can be reached at jwendland@politicalaffairs.net.



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