Pot meets Kettle

Ms. Rice arrived in Moscow for a brief visit to pave the way for President Bush's trip next month but was immediately forced to adjust her schedule because of a bomb threat at her hotel, the Renaissance, about a mile from the Kremlin, a senior State Department official said. The hotel was declared clear after a two-hour delay.

Speaking on her plane here, Ms. Rice said recent trends in Russia's struggle to become a full-fledged democracy were not positive, citing increasing central control of state governments and broadcast media.
  NY Times article

And don't take that bomb thing personal, Miss Thang.

What's with this "paving the way" for Butthead's visits?

But she said that "we have to continue to impress upon the Russians that certain responsibilities come with membership in the G-8" and that "Moscow should make every effort to convince the world that they understand those responsibilities that attend inclusion in organizations like the G-8."

The secretary's comments were the latest salvo in what has been an increased tempo of criticism reflecting what some officials say is mounting concern in private by President Bush and his close aides about Mr. Putin.

Honeymoon over?

Of course, the emphasis is on that "open" economy, polticis be damned.

[Rice] said Russia was under pressure to open its economy in order to enter the World Trade Organization and to keep an open political system as a member of the Group of 8, which it joined in the 1990's.

[...]

She also strongly suggested, without saying so directly, that Russia needed to increase oil production to ease global prices and get rid of "inconsistencies" in its treatment of foreign oil producers.

That comment appeared to echo rising complaints being heard by Exxon and other American companies over canceled contracts for oil exploration and production and curbs under former President Boris N. Yeltsin on foreign majority ownership in the oil exploration field.

[...]

In the area of dissent and free expression, some Western diplomats say they not only fear that the Russian crackdown could hamper the next scheduled presidential election in 2008 but also that Mr. Putin might take the drastic step of changing the Russian constitution to allow himself to run for another term.

Now that is the pot calling the kettle black. The Bush administration doesn't have much leverage in the area of cracking down on dissent and free expression, what with their "fee speech zones" and "invitation only" town hall speeches.

Some Russia specialists say the Bush administration needs to make it clear that such a move by Mr. Putin would be unacceptable [...]

Only Butthead himself is allowed to do something like that.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.