RE: Closing the deal

[Karen Watters Cole]

It was, again, interesting, to watch the Russian Defense Minister interviewed on Newshour this evening.  He spent 10 minutes answering questions by Ray Suarez very adeptly, in perfect English, repeating that the UN process should be given its due chance to proceed and succeed or fail, that Russia had no evidence that SH had WMD that posed an imminent threat, all the while bragging about how much intelligence is being shared by the US and Russia, and then launched his notice that the Russians were very concerned about Georgia and the terrorist influence there. He said that that they would of course respond if attacked, but was definitely making his case on this public television medium that Russia had its own interests it was going to pursue, just as India/Kashmir, China/Taiwan will be argued. Newsmaker interview: Sergei Ivanov @ http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/europe/july-dec02/russia_9-20.html   Later, when David Brooks spoke about Bush’s congressional resolution as a done deal, I couldn’t help but think that the megaphones are turning up their volume, declaring as often as they can that the Congress will come through and we will be going to war, one way or the other.  The more you say it, the more people accept it.  They might as well admit it, this is political strategy based on wearing down the opposition.    I finally heard some questioning, which I expect from journalists, during the Washington Week in review panel. Karen And agreed, this has nothing to do with al-Qaida; Putin and Sergei Ivanov are stealing a page out of BUSH’S PANDORA’S BOX. Quite rightly, the Russians figure if the anti-terrorist theme is good for the goose, it should be good for the gander.  I’m sure this does ender Bush and his theorists to the Georgians! Cheers, Lawry