American Thinker: On Russian Revolutions, Putin, Freedom and the scope of the President’s Vision

Here’s a link to a fascinating article in the American Thinker by Herbert E. Meyer, a top CIA official under President Reagan. In it you’ll find an interesting history lesson and some eye-openers about Russian President Vladimir Putin. Perhaps most interesting is the article’s depiction of the dilemma President Bush finds himself in concerning how vigorously to support his ally Mr. Putin. The question is: how can he reconcile staunch support for Putin, an enemy of freedom, free-markets and democracy according to Meyer, without betraying the vision he set forth in his inaugural speech? On the other hand, the underlying rationale President Bush gave for “exporting” democracy, beyond its inherent morality, is that it is the best way, in the long run, to win the War on Terror. And President Putin has been our ally in the War on Terror, generally speaking. So should President Bush continue to support Putin mainly on the basis that he is on our side in this war, or oppose him because he stands in the way of real democratic reform in Russia, which would aid in the overall cause in our war effort as well? Perhaps I’ll have time to delve into this further tomorrow, or maybe not. But in the meantime check out the provocative American Thinker piece.