A Salute To Tom Lantos

Democratic Congressman Tom Lantos wins the line of the day award. This is from his remarks at the dedication of a monument to victims of communism:

Lantos said "I am so glad that the era of Jacques Chirac and Chancellor Schroeder in Germany is now gone" He added that, when the United States asked Schroeder to support its decision to go to war in Iraq "he told us where to go. I referred to him as a political prostitute, now that he's taking big checks from (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. But the sex workers in my district objected, so I will no longer use that phrase."

I salute Congressman Lantos both for protecting the higher social caliber of prostitutes and for his his assessment of both Chirac and Schroeder, two of the worst leaders produced by Europe since WWII. Lantos also had other remarks:

Lantos said Chirac "should go down to the Normandy beaches. He should see those endless rows of white marble crosses and stars of David representing young Americans who gave their lives for the freedom of France."

He said under the successors of Schroeder and Chirac, Angela Merkel in Germany and Nicolas Sarkozy in France, relations with the United States "will take a very positive turn"

Lantos was born in Budapest, Hungary, and sent to a Nazi labor camp when he was 16. He is the only survivor of the Holocaust ever to have served in Congress.

Read the entire story here.

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Russia Turning?

According to the NYT:

Russia has informed Iran that it will withhold nuclear fuel for Iran’s nearly completed Bushehr power plant unless Iran suspends its uranium enrichment as demanded by the United Nations Security Council, European, American and Iranian officials say.

This is a fortunate turn of events. The only question is why?

It is tought to discern much with clarity about Russia these days, as it has returned to a vestige of its autocratic past. Putin has gone a long way to dismantling the nascent democracy in Russia and, in its place, inserting a thuggish regime where serious dissenters are engaged by bullets rather then debate and the ballot box. Russia has taken the place of the old Soviet Union as the premier arms dealer for all rouge regimes. And Russia has been involved in the very lucrative deal to build nuclear reactors in Iran.

Given Russia's own problems with radical Islamists in Chechneya and the growth of Islamist regimes on its borders, it has always appeared that Russia's relationship of conveinance with Islamic countries was near insanity.

So is Russia reassessing its long-term strategic intersts and placing those interests over short term economic gain? Or are Putin and friends upset because Iran because its checks are bouncing? Or are there yet other motivations?

“We’re not sure what mix of commercial and political motives are at play here,” one senior Bush administration official said in Washington. “But clearly the Russians and the Iranians are getting on each other’s nerves — and that’s not all bad.”

A senior European official said: “We consider this a very important decision by the Russians. It shows that our disagreements with the Russians about the dangers of Iran’s nuclear program are tactical. Fundamentally, the Russians don’t want a nuclear Iran.”
. . . .
The Russian Atomic Energy Agency, or Rosatom, is eager to become a major player in the global nuclear energy market. As Security Council action against Iran has gained momentum and Iran’s isolation increases, involvement with the Bushehr project may detract from Rosatom’s reputation.

In a flurry of public comments in the past month, Russian officials acknowledged that Russia was delaying the delivery of fuel to the reactor in the Iranian port city of Bushehr. It blamed the decision on the failure of Iran to pay what it owes on the project, not on concerns about nuclear proliferation.

But last month, Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov informed some European officials that Russia had made a political decision not to deliver the fuel, adding that Russia would state publicly that the sole reason was financial, European officials said.

Read the article here. Whatever the true motivation or mix of motivations, this is welcome news. The pressure on Iran just got ratcheted up - and we have just taken a small step back from war with Iran.

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Vladimir Soprano

Publius Pundit examines what has become the mafia-like government of President Putin

It must be acknowledged that the Kremlin is not one-dimensional, and doesn’t try to solve all its problems with the use of brute force. Just like Marlon Brando in “The Godfather” (award-winning pundit Charles Krauthammer recently said “President” Putin’s “more accurate title would be godfather”), before the Kremlin kills you it will leave the head of a dead horse in your bed, and before it does that it will offer to buy your soul. If you won’t sell, they figure, that’s your problem.

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RUSSIA AND THE NYT. Publius Pundit takes extreme issue with Tom Friedman's assertions that the U.S. is responsible for Russia's tack into a mafia-style dictatorship.

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RUSSIA RISING. "[T]he time for treating Russia like a trustworthy ally in fighting global terror, or having common interests with the United States in Latin America, Africa or Europe has long passed." See also this Anne Applebaum article.

Update: And see this from the Maverick News Network.

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