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Title: Putin Puts U.S. on Notice: Suggests Bush & Co. is Making Up "Terrorist Threat" for their own agenda
Source:
Signs of the Times
URL Source: http://www.signs-of-the-times.org/a ... A+lesson+in+Western+Media+Spin
Published: Feb 2, 2007
Author: Joe Quinn
Post Date: 2007-02-02 14:12:32 by Eoghan
Ping List: *Russian Oligarchs* Subscribe to *Russian Oligarchs*
Keywords: None
Views: 235
Comments: 11
A lesson in Western Media Spin Vladimir Putin's press conference has been "asymmetrically" covered by the Western media, it seems. SOTT has made a translation, from the original Russian, of the most pertinent remarks which were "spun" in a somewhat different way in the LA Times, reprinted by the Boston Globe. From Putin's sixth Press Conference, Feb. 1, 2007 in Russian: Most problems that were discussed were concerned with economical and internal issues. But there was also this: Question (Vladimir Kuzmin): Concerning the plans of the US to build an antimissile defense system in Czech Republic, Poland and possibly in Ukraine, do you consider them rational? Perhaps these plans are simply a reaction to the reconstruction of our military power and our policy concerning the energy? Putin: [...] The plans of USA are not related to the increase of our power. They have been announced long before. Our military budget is 25 times smaller than that of the US. But we will reply in an asymmetric way. We also have anti-ballistic systems and we will have a new generation of them. We have hypersonic strategic arms, and antiballistic systems are useless against them. Our experts do not think that anti-ballistic systems in the countries of Eastern Europe are aimed to prohibit the dangers coming from Iran or some terrorists. What terrorists? That terrorists have ballistic missiles? We know the trajectories of ballistic missiles that can be launched from Iran. Therefore such arguments seem to us as having no foundation. And that has a direct relation to us and will lead to our appropriate reaction. As I said, our response will be asymmetric, yet highly effective. The following is the Western News report of the same conference which, somehow, filters the above fascinating comments. Russians must freely choose their next leader, Putin says By David Holley Los Angeles Times MOSCOW -- President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who is due to step down next year at the end of his second term, pledged yesterday that his successor will be chosen in a free and democratic election. Despite widespread expectations that he will choose a successor who then would become unbeatable at the ballot box, Putin said in a Kremlin news conference that he will not reveal his preference until the campaign begins and that authorities must ensure a fair contest. "There will be no 'successor' nominated," Putin said. "There will be presidential candidates. It is the duty of the authorities to ensure democratic coverage of their election campaigns and their election positions so that Russian citizens could make a conscious choice." Putin enjoys popularity ratings of above 70 percent, and his endorsement is widely seen as key to any candidate intent on succeeding him. A survey last year by the Levada Center polling agency found that 40 percent of respondents said they would vote for a candidate proposed by Putin, compared with 14 percent who would favor someone else. All nationwide television in Russia is either state-run or owned by state-controlled businesses, and most analysts believe that whoever is the Kremlin's favored candidate would receive favorable news coverage. Few observers think an opposition candidate would have much chance to overcome that advantage. Stanislav Belkovsky, president of the National Strategy Institute, a Moscow think tank, said he believes Putin's comments yesterday simply mean that "he truly doesn't know the name of his 2008 successor." "We shouldn't really count on having a free democratic choice," Belkovsky said. "Various elite groups will still field their own candidates, but only one will enjoy Putin's support." Putin also said that after this year's parliamentary elections and the 2008 presidential election, different branches of government should be working in the same direction, not competing with each other. Power should be "arranged in such a way that it will be able to function effectively and deal with problems facing the country," Putin said. Putin also commented favorably on the idea of creating an OPEC-style group of natural gas producers that would attempt to influence prices, a possibility that recently has raised concern in the European Union. "A gas OPEC is an interesting idea," he said. "We will think about it." Putin said Russia already is trying to "agree with Iranian partners and with some other countries" that export large quantities of natural gas on how to "coordinate our actions in the markets of third countries." Now comes the coverage of the remarks we are highlighting: Putin also disputed statements by the Bush administration that the possible deployment of US missile defense sites in Europe is not aimed against Russia. "Our military specialists do not believe that the missile defense systems to be deployed in Eastern Europe are aimed at countering the threats coming from Iran, for example, or from some kind of terrorists," Putin said. "Do terrorists have ballistic missiles? The flight trajectories of the missiles that may be launched from Iranian territory are also well-known. And they don't have ballistic missiles." Putin said Russia will respond to the US effort by making nuclear missiles even more capable of penetrating such a defense shield. An interesting difference, eh? Nothing in the LA Times report that suggests that Putin implied that the U.S. was making up the whole terrorist threat schtick in order to justify arming itself to the teeth against every other country in the world. Asked about the poisoning death in London last year of dissident former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko, Putin said that "only the investigation can provide the answer" about who was responsible. In a deathbed statement, Litvinenko accused Putin of ordering his killing, a charge the Kremlin has dismissed as nonsense. Britain and Russia have opened investigations into the case. The former spy was poisoned by contact with radioactive polonium-210. Putin, himself a former KGB agent, spoke disparagingly of Litvinenko, saying he had abused his position in the security services by "beating people when arresting them" and stealing explosives. Putin also mentioned the fact that Litvinenko had been brought up on charges of abusing his position and had received a three year suspended sentence in Russia before he decamped. In short, Litvenenko was little more than a common thug. "He did not know any secrets whatever," Putin said. "All the negative things he could have said about his previous employer, he had already said a long time ago." Putin spoke much more positively than he had previously about slain investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, a fierce critic of Moscow's policies in war-torn Chechnya, who was gunned down in her apartment building in October. After her death, Putin had angered Politkovskaya's admirers by implying that her articles had been destructive. "This murder has done more damage to Russia, and the current authorities of Russia and Chechnya, which she has been covering lately in her work, than Politkovskaya's articles," Putin said at the time. At his news conference yesterday, Putin said that " the problem of targeting of journalists is one of the most acute problems ." "We will do everything to protect the journalistic corps," he said. © Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company. The Scotsman gives an ever so slightly different take on the remarks which are obviously closer to the original intent: Putin plays it coy over a successor By Conor Sweeney in Moscow AMERICAN missiles, moonshine alcohol, Alexander Litvinenko's KGB CV and energy cartels - these were just some of the wide variety of topics tackled by Russia's president Vladimir Putin yesterday at his annual press conference. Coming in at three and a half hours, with about 65 questions, it was like watching a candidate in a TV quiz show trying to win the star prize. But there was just one question he passed on again and again - who should succeed the contestant as Russia's president? Mr Putin would only admit to feeling the "heat" when he was asked about the issue for the fourth time. His silence was an answer in itself. He is not going to recommend a single candidate to the people in advance, as had been speculated upon endlessly in the Russian press. Despite growing foreign criticism of his regime Mr Putin enjoys 80 per cent approval ratings at home, so his support would be a crucial key in deciding the country's next ruler. Notice above how the "80% approval ratings" in this article contrasts with the "above 70% approval ratings" in the LA Times article. Mr Putin went on to hint that once campaigning gets under way he'll offer his view - though this may not automatically equal endorsement of a single candidate if more than one Kremlin insider enters the battle. He displayed all the guile of an accomplished politician in avoiding the specifics on the awkward issues before 1,232 reporters from Russian and international media, crammed into the Kremlin's Great Hall. There was no shortage of soft questions, but there were a few tough ones too. When asked why his country, which had fought fascism, was still a breeding ground for such extreme views, he conceded: "It has do with certain confusion and the ideological vacuum created after the collapse of the Soviet Union. We cannot treat this in a superficial way." When asked about corruption, he warned of its corrosive effect on Russian society. The solution, he said was an open democracy, with a free media. When it came to foreign policy, Mr Putin was adamant that he was not looking for conflict with his near neighbours - he even took a question from one Georgian journalist who was flying a miniature national flag to get his attention. But there was no doubting that his suspicion of the West continues. He advised Finland to think hard about the consequences of it ever joining NATO, as it would "not promote the atmosphere" between the two countries. The planned US missile shield base in Europe was also criticised, with Mr Putin querying why Washington keeps claiming it was to stop terrorist threats or missiles from Iran. Neither were the real reason, he said. And when it came to the more local questions, like the illegal sale of moonshine, he admitted that it was a problem in some provinces. So too, he accepted, was the failure to get more women involved in Russian politics. But if Mr Putin were a quiz contestant, then his specialist subject was the energy industry. He effortlessly batted questions on a range of energy related issues. He defended Russia against accusations that it is using its oil and gas might as a political weapon by raising prices. "The thesis is being thrust on us all the time that Russia is using its old and new economic efforts to attain foreign political goals. It is not so," Mr Putin said. "We're not obliged to subsidise the economies of other countries. Nobody does that, so why are they demanding it of us?" Mr Putin said. But if there was one issue he clearly didn't have time for, it was the ghost in the room of Alexander Litvinenko. The poisoned former KGB officer had only held minor positions in the agency and had no reason to flee the country in the first place, said Mr Putin. He stressed that only investigators and courts could determine who was behind the killings last year of Mr Litvinenko and also of Anna Politkovskaya, an investigative journalist, and he added: "I don't very much believe in the conspiracy theory, and honestly speaking, it doesn't bother me very much." Russian Leader Shows A Lighter Side Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, joked with female reporters, cited ancient wisdom and shared his thoughts on gays, as he gave a glimpse of his lighter side at the news conference. The Lighter Side of Putin A reporter invited Mr Putin to visit her native region of Murmansk to ski. "Are you inviting me personally, or on behalf of Murmansk?" Mr Putin asked, with a smile. Mr Putin, who leads a country not noted for tolerance towards gays, was asked to comment on a recent remark by Yuri Luzhkov, the mayor of Moscow, that Gay Pride parades were a "satanic act". "My approach towards gay parades and sexual minorities is very simple," Mr Putin replied. "It is directly linked to my responsibilities. One of the key problems of our country is the demographic problem." The auditorium exploded in laughter and applause. The Kremlin leader quickly added: "I respect the freedom of people in all respects. What was the other question?" One journalist asked about Russia's often edgy relations with the West. Mr Putin replied gravely: "I often think about a famous ancient piece of wisdom: if you are angry, you are wrong." Mr Putin, a former KGB spy who often comes across as unsmiling in public, softened when asked about what he does when he is in a bad mood. "I usually try to talk to my dog, Koni," he said.
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#1. To: Eoghan (#0)
LOL- and that is different from here how? Every media conglomerate in this country is under Federal stick and carrot regulatory power. Our "free media" is populated and staffed by former government apparatchiks and insiders. And its "ownership" gets smaller every day.
sitting here trying to imagine smirk speaking and taking questions for 3.5 hours has boggled my mind bump
And by the way- good post. This is indeed a great example of American MSM media spin and lying by omission- management of quotes to convey a particular theme that is often counter to what was actually said. It's like the speech by Ahmadinejad in which he said Iran was never going to get nuke weapons and didn't need them- and that Israel would fade away as have other evil regimes- which was then deliberatly misquoted as "wiped off the map" by our Israel firtster DC Beltway liar media.
Kind sounds like our own alphabet soup channeled MSM. ha, ha Seriously though I thought the ziorooskie oligarchs controlled a good deal of Russia's media. Why would they support a candidate that Putin annointed?
If Smirk had to do 3 and 1/2 hours at a press conference he would get so rattled, agitated, and confused that awkward and even criminal truths would slip out of his mouth- he is that dumb. In fact- he is so dumb I don't think the Beltway can afford him running around for too long as an Ex President.
lol! The moral and constitutional obligations of our representatives in Washington are to protect our liberty, not coddle the world, precipitating no-win wars, while bringing bankruptcy and economic turmoil to our people. ~Ron Paul
RIA Novosti reported this comment of Putin's. (My link is to the German-language report.)
Katrina was America's Chernobyl.
Thanks much for the documentation of dull leader's capabilities. Outstanding.
LOL- and that is different from here how? Every media conglomerate in this country is under Federal stick and carrot regulatory power. Our "free media" is populated and staffed by former government apparatchiks and insiders. And its "ownership" gets smaller every day. Hit the nail on the head PING
I could imagine a lot of reporters slitting their wrists or hanging themselves after having to listen to him prattle on and butcher the language for an hour, but three and a half?! Man, that would be Abu Ghraib cruel.
"First I'm gonna bother everybody I meet, and then I'll probably go home and get drunk."
Waterboard, or worse.
All nationwide television in Russia is either state-run or owned by state-controlled businesses,
#2. To: Eoghan (#0)
#3. To: Eoghan (#0)
#4. To: Eoghan (#0)
All nationwide television in Russia is either state-run or owned by state-controlled businesses, and most analysts believe that whoever is the Kremlin's favored candidate would receive favorable news coverage. Few observers think an opposition candidate would have much chance to overcome that advantage.
#5. To: lodwick (#2)
#6. To: lodwick (#2)
sitting here trying to imagine smirk speaking and taking questions for 3.5 hours has boggled my mind bump
#7. To: Eoghan (#0)
„Unsere Experten glauben nicht daran, dass die Raketenabwehrsysteme, die in Osteuropa stationiert werden, der Abwehr von Gefahren dienen, die von Iran oder von Terroristen ausgehen. Terroristen haben ja keine ballistischen Raketen“, sagte Putin am Donnerstag auf seiner Jahrespressekonferenz im Kreml.
#8. To: robin (#6)
#9. To: Burkeman1 (#1)
All nationwide television in Russia is either state-run or owned by state-controlled businesses,
#10. To: lodwick (#2)
sitting here trying to imagine smirk speaking and taking questions for 3.5 hours
#11. To: orangedog (#10)
Man, that would be Abu Ghraib cruel.
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