What Did Bush Really See in Putin's Eyes?

It is very unusual in the Middle East to turn on the television or read a newspaper without finding a major story about a new development in Iraq, Lebanon, Iran, Israel and Palestine. However, this week was different. The crisis in the Caucasus stole the headlines, but it was not for lack of important news in the Middle East. Just recently, Lebanon was rocked by another devastating explosion, tensions over Kirkuk continue, and the death of a Palestinian legendary poet brought tears to millions. But it was the Russian-Georgian confrontations which remained an important story with most news editors in the region linking the crisis in the Caucasus to what is happening in the Middle East.

"What goes around comes around." This is how one of the editorials in a major Arab newspaper described the Georgian ordeal. The writer went on to poke fun at Georgia for having to withdraw its troops from the occupation of Iraq, which it obviously approves of, to try to prevent a possible occupation of Georgia, which it seems to consider a bad idea.

On a very popular talk show on Al Jazeera, a guest dismissed the Russian incursion into Georgian territories as having nothing to do with the vicious conflict over South Ossetia but rather with the price of oil. According to him, with oil prices having dropped from $145 a barrel to $115 in just two weeks, only an armed conflict could push prices higher. This is a great benefit to both Russia's economy as well of those oil producing countries in the Persian Gulf. This has yet to be proven true.

Meanwhile, there is no exciting debate or conversation on Arab TV that does not discuss the U.S. "double standards" in the region. Arab commentators had a field day with the president's statements declaring the Russian invasion of Georgia "disproportionate and unacceptable", and that great powers should not go about "toppling governments in the 21st century." As if he had never done such a thing!

There was also the Israeli connection. However, this debate did not start in the Arab, but rather the Israeli media. According to the Jerusalem Post, Israeli companies sold military equipment to Georgia worth approximately $300 million. The story then took off in the Arab media when the story of a Russian jet downing an Israeli-made drone in Georgia was reported, as well as the role that retired senior Israeli officers have played as advisers to the Georgian security forces. Both Arab and Israeli media reported that the Georgian defense minister, Davit Kezerashvili, is a Jew who attended high school in Israel.

Something everyone in the Middle East wondered was, "what did President Bush really see when he looked in Putin's eyes?"

Jamal Dajani produces the Mosaic Intelligence Report on Link TV

Follow Jamal Dajani on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jamaldajani

Comments

[texastornado]

"what did bush see in Putin's eyes"? He saw someone who could give him a good thumpin.

[chinationreport]

I posted a link to some good pictures on: http://www.chinationreport.com/#EditorsChoice (Bush, Putin, Gates pictures)

He was having too much fun in Beijing when he saw Putin... And he probably thought: I am glad I only have a few months left and who cares what will happen to whomever...


http://www.chinationreport.com/#EditorsChoice

[ESaD]

What Did Bush Really See in Putin's Eyes?

I donno about his eyes, but in his face, ...
For starters, he didn't see someone with a Big Mouth who jumps into a scrap, Chin First.

[NoSillyName]

GWB is not smart enough to make any kind of judgements. Gazing into Pootie-Put's czarist eyes was probably like looking into Cheney's Windows to the Soul and George felt comfortably numb.

As for GWB's threats to Putin about Georgia, he has no moral ground to stand on, for obvious reasons.

Mano a mano, Putin would squash GWB like a bug.

[myrddin]

He saw the man he wanted to be, a dictator

[davism97]

How shameless can Bush and McCain be to declare that nations don't invade other nations in the 21st century?! Can any Republican please tell me again why we invaded Iraq? The answer to that question seems to keep changing over the years...

[PackyJ]

I don't know what Dubya really saw when he looked into Pootie-Poot's eyes.

But when Putin looked deep into Dubya's eyes, he saw... the back of Dubya's head.

[Whinger]

America's illegal invasion of Iraq gave Russia and others the green light to do so for reasons linked to national security!
America and the other nations who collaborated with them to invade and those who sat on their hands allowing them to get away with it are in no position to lecture Russia.

That's not to say Russia is justified in invading Geogia, it's not, they are merely telling America and its allies, this far and no further! Suddenly Iran seems to be a tiny problem in comparison!

[sugarmoes]

bush didn't see nuthin... he never does... he has no insight... he was just lyin as usual... always.

[research]

we are being played again, just like Iraq. The PNAC Bush McCain war mongers plus the IAPAC funded Georgia military,

The cons realize they are going to lose control of the USA, so they are desperate to start world war to tie the hands of the next administration.

Impeachment prevents War

Of course Pelosi is one of the warmongers.

[mergina]

Oil profits?

[init]

What did he see? Something someone else has drilled in his numb scull head.

[S1m0n]

Who knows? But I can tell you what Putin saw: he saw a sucker.

[kjdwyer]

Exactly.

No one asks what Putin saw in Bush's empty gaze.

One of the reasons Putin has been so bold as to invade Georgia is that he saw not only a sucker, but a mediocrity, not to mention an entire team of mediocrities that surrounded Bush.

What a complete and total embarrassment to the U.S. GWB and company has been. Truly shocking.

[lyingtruth]

Bush looked into Putin's deep penetrating eyes and saw a man who wanted to make him his companion!

[leonardox1]

What do you mean by companion? This can mean different things to different people.

[marignymitch]

Junior saw his soulmate, a fellow dictator.