And presto!!!Does no one in the Liberal party see the horrible imagery of using a pencil eraser on a financial statement? I thought the image was cropped, but there it is right on the Liberal website. What a bunch of clueless idiots.
Backstage at the Cheney administration:
No we know the reason behind that recurring “language problem.”
I dunno, but I think this one really deserves a thread of its own. This could get hairy.
Now, I’ll just post a bit from the blog where I found it:
If I were editor of that paper… I dunno. I would be tempted to run the cartoon, but, I just don’t know…
So is this proof that printing the Mohammed cartoons was stupid or what? People hate being offended. That will probably become obvious soon. That’s why methinks a new thread… but oh well. I’m feeling silly.
:bravo: 
Nice read on that one, dearpeter.
[quote=“From a couple of the funniest politicos around”]ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - President Bush backed away on Saturday from a public confrontation over Russia’s democracy with President Vladimir Putin, adhering to a pledge not to lecture the Kremlin leader.
At a joint news conference, the two made clear they discussed their differences privately on what critics say are declining civil liberties in Russia, and stepped gingerly around the issue in their public comments.
With Bush needing Russia’s help on pressuring Iran and North Korea to forswear nuclear weapons, and with Middle East violence surging, democracy issues did not appear to play as dominating role in their talks as when they met in Slovakia last year.
[color=blue]Bush said it came up at their social dinner on Friday night.
“I talked about my desire to promote institutional change in parts of the world like Iraq, where there is a free press and free religion, and I told him that a lot of people in our country, you know, would hope that Russia would do the same thing,” Bush said.
He quickly added: “I totally understand, however, that there will be a Russian-style democracy. I don’t expect Russia to look like the United States. As Vladimir pointedly reminded me last night, ‘We have a different history, different traditions.’”
Putin pounced on the reference to Iraq. “We of course don’t want to have a democracy like the one in Iraq, to be honest,” he deadpanned, to laughter from Russian-speaking listeners.[/color]
Upon hearing the translation of Putin’s remark, Bush interjected: “Just wait.” [/quote]
[quote=“Jaboney”][quote=“From a couple of the funniest politicos around”]ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - President Bush backed away on Saturday from a public confrontation over Russia’s democracy with President Vladimir Putin, adhering to a pledge not to lecture the Kremlin leader.
At a joint news conference, the two made clear they discussed their differences privately on what critics say are declining civil liberties in Russia, and stepped gingerly around the issue in their public comments.
With Bush needing Russia’s help on pressuring Iran and North Korea to forswear nuclear weapons, and with Middle East violence surging, democracy issues did not appear to play as dominating role in their talks as when they met in Slovakia last year.
[color=blue]Bush said it came up at their social dinner on Friday night.
“I talked about my desire to promote institutional change in parts of the world like Iraq, where there is a free press and free religion, and I told him that a lot of people in our country, you know, would hope that Russia would do the same thing,” Bush said.
He quickly added: “I totally understand, however, that there will be a Russian-style democracy. I don’t expect Russia to look like the United States. As Vladimir pointedly reminded me last night, ‘We have a different history, different traditions.’”
Putin pounced on the reference to Iraq. “We of course don’t want to have a democracy like the one in Iraq, to be honest,” he deadpanned, to laughter from Russian-speaking listeners.[/color]
Upon hearing the translation of Putin’s remark, Bush interjected: “Just wait.” [/quote][/quote]
How is that funny?
[quote=“Tigerman”][quote=“Jaboney”][quote=“From a couple of the funniest politicos around”]ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - President Bush backed away on Saturday from a public confrontation over Russia’s democracy with President Vladimir Putin, adhering to a pledge not to lecture the Kremlin leader.
At a joint news conference, the two made clear they discussed their differences privately on what critics say are declining civil liberties in Russia, and stepped gingerly around the issue in their public comments.
With Bush needing Russia’s help on pressuring Iran and North Korea to forswear nuclear weapons, and with Middle East violence surging, democracy issues did not appear to play as dominating role in their talks as when they met in Slovakia last year.
[color=blue]Bush said it came up at their social dinner on Friday night.
“I talked about my desire to promote institutional change in parts of the world like Iraq, where there is a free press and free religion, and I told him that a lot of people in our country, you know, would hope that Russia would do the same thing,” Bush said.
He quickly added: “I totally understand, however, that there will be a Russian-style democracy. I don’t expect Russia to look like the United States. As Vladimir pointedly reminded me last night, ‘We have a different history, different traditions.’”
Putin pounced on the reference to Iraq. “We of course don’t want to have a democracy like the one in Iraq, to be honest,” he deadpanned, to laughter from Russian-speaking listeners.[/color]
Upon hearing the translation of Putin’s remark, Bush interjected: “Just wait.” [/quote][/quote]
How is that funny?[/quote]
Probably because Putin was making a jab at the US’s efforts to make a democracy in Iraq. Which is a big mess. I thought it was cute…
Democracy is always a big mess. Some messes are bigger than others.
Yes, Iraq is a big mess now. But, it was a huge mess before, too. It’ll take a while. That’s why Bush responded with, “just wait”.
Of course, Russia could do more than “just wait”, but, it isn’t willing to help. IMO, it isn’t funny when those who have the ability to help refuse to do so, and instead make jokes about the situation.
Seems sad rather than funny.
Democracy is always a big mess. Some messes are bigger than others.
Yes, Iraq is a big mess now. But, it was a huge mess before, too. It’ll take a while. That’s why Bush responded with, “just wait”.
Of course, Russia could do more than “just wait”, but, it isn’t willing to help. IMO, it isn’t funny when those who have the ability to help refuse to do so, and instead make jokes about the situation.
Seems sad rather than funny.[/quote]
Off topic. But Bush probably responded with ‘just wait’ because he was getting defensive and was the pun of a joke. No leader wants to be that, especially if they are caught up in all their own hype and trying to be taken seriously, espcially when in his own country polls show that he is lossing support. It isn’t funny, but you have to have a sense of humor about messes. Life isn’t to be take so seriously-Hell, remember the platypus? 
This will be cut off into a new thread. So, why should Russia ‘help’ with our mess? They didn’t initate this war. Now of course, I’ll get the usual vitrol responses from the Bush supports. So bring on the links 
For one thing, Putin was probably annoyed by an unfavourable comparison to what he regards as a Third-World country; one furthermore torn by civl war and everyday massacres.
Especially since the Americans had that same day torpedoed Russia’s entry into the WTO.
[quote=“MikeN”]For one thing, Putin was probably annoyed by an unfavourable comparison to what he regards as a Third-World country; one furthermore torn by civil war and everyday massacres.(oooops, can we say “Chechnya”?)
Especially since the Americans had that same day torpedoed Russia’s entry into the WTO.[/quote]
I’m not certain that is such a poor comparison.
I think you’re spot on correct re that.
Well, even if Russia has no obligation to help clean up the after-invasion mess, they are, it appears, partly responsible for the mess before the invasion.
I look at it as one of those laugh or cry things. Ok, usually, the Iraq situation just makes me fume; being kicked around between these two jokers, it’s laugh or cry.
Jon Stewart having fun with Senator Ted Stevens’ lack of eloquence when discussing the Internet. It’s pretty funny.
Russia still has deep and ongoing problems, including large-scale poverty, environmental degradation, decaying infrastructure, a pliant judiciary and corrupt police force, high rates of fatal disease, and I’m sure these will still be endemic in Russia in the future, whereas I see a much brighter future for the masses of people in Iraq. Can you say the same thing about the masses of people in Russia, outside of St. P and Moscow 
? Have you ever travelled extensively in central Asia?
BTW, Russia had no problems with building Iraq up in the mid to late 90s:
[quote=“Con Coughlin”]
Indeed, much of the funds donated by the UN to assist the plight of ordinary Iraqi citizens went directly to Saddam and his ruling circle, and the main beneficiaries were the security forces and his friends. Even the medical supplies shipped by the UN were exploited by the regime, and ended up being sold on the black market in Jordan. The lion’s share of the substantial income Saddam received from these illegal activities was spent on arms. Secret arms deals were negotiated with such countries as Russia, China, North Korea, and Serbia. By the late 90s, it was estimated that Iraq has regained 80 percent of the military hardware destroyed during the Gulf War[/quote]
Bad boy of Gitmo . . .
http://media.theaustralian.news.com.au/20060710%20Bad%20Boy%20of%20Guantanamo.html
HG
When is all this off topic discussion gonna be placed in a thread called “Russia-US current relations”?
[quote=“Jaboney”][quote=“From a couple of the funniest politicos around”]ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - President Bush backed away on Saturday from a public confrontation over Russia’s democracy with President Vladimir Putin, adhering to a pledge not to lecture the Kremlin leader.
At a joint news conference, the two made clear they discussed their differences privately on what critics say are declining civil liberties in Russia, and stepped gingerly around the issue in their public comments.
With Bush needing Russia’s help on pressuring Iran and North Korea to forswear nuclear weapons, and with Middle East violence surging, democracy issues did not appear to play as dominating role in their talks as when they met in Slovakia last year.
[color=blue]Bush said it came up at their social dinner on Friday night.
“I talked about my desire to promote institutional change in parts of the world like Iraq, where there is a free press and free religion, and I told him that a lot of people in our country, you know, would hope that Russia would do the same thing,” Bush said.
He quickly added: “I totally understand, however, that there will be a Russian-style democracy. I don’t expect Russia to look like the United States. As Vladimir pointedly reminded me last night, ‘We have a different history, different traditions.’”
Putin pounced on the reference to Iraq. “We of course don’t want to have a democracy like the one in Iraq, to be honest,” he deadpanned, to laughter from Russian-speaking listeners.[/color]
Upon hearing the translation of Putin’s remark, Bush interjected: “Just wait.” [/quote][/quote]
Just for you Jaboney: The video