Putin's bellicose rhetoric casts a shadow over start of G8 summit

President George Bush arrived in the Czech Republic last night to counter the escalating rhetoric from the Kremlin after Vladimir Putin cast an icy chill over the G8 summit with a warning of a new nuclear arms race.

The Russian President's comments, in which he said Russia would aim missiles at Europe if the US pursued its plans to install missile defence systems in the Czech Republic and Poland, caused consternation in European capitals yesterday.

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Amid talk of a new Cold War, the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, sought to lower the diplomatic temperature, saying: "This is 2007, not 1987 ... We need to drop the rhetoric ... and realise this is the United States and Russia a very different period." But she added: " It doesn't really help anybody to start threatening the Europeans. ... You cannot launch a threat at Europe that is separable from the United States."

In his four-hour interview with selected newspapers ahead of the G8 summit, where he will meet President Bush, Mr Putin reserved his most bitter criticism for the US plans to install a missile defence shield in Europe. The US denies Russia is a target of the shield, which it insists is being developed against "rogue states" such as North Korea and Iran ­ a deployment described as the "joke of the year" by Iran's top negotiator, Ali Larijani, yesterday.

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http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2614549.ece

What happened, George?

as badly as Bushco.

I'm actually pleased to see Russia back in the 'power-broker' seat so the world can have some sensible balance.

It's been shown during the last 4 years that the USA no longer wears the white hat 24/7. The ambitious but incompetent neocons succeeded in destroying that perception for the US citizens. Balance of power between defined entities works because uncontained power does corrupt even in the USA. I blame Bush's my way or the highway strutting and arrogance, his missile defense boondoggle and his general all around incompetence and lack of diplomacy with stirring up this pot with the Russians.

Speaking of balance of power. Since labor and unions are now a non-existent entity, we need a political party that will unambiguously stand up to the corporate globalists and multi-nationals to defend the economic well being of US citizens. That my friends is the issue that is at the core of the problems in the USA....corporate power run amuck

But what and where is that political party?

since the Soviet Union broke up. I told him all of the rights guaranteed to workers would disappear as there was no immediate threat to corporate greed. The Chambers of Commerce now believe that they own the world's politicians.

I didn't think that the Muslims would be the next victims after the communists. The Chinese better get ready - they're the next bogey man - weapons must be sold.

:popcorn: MKJ

We are moving our advanced missile 'defense' systems up against the Russian border. It is our ACTIONS that are causing Russia to react this way.

almost imperial.