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Russian President Vladimir Putin held his annual marathon press conference today. Over 1,600 journalists were accredited for the event, which ended up lasting just under four hours.
The entire ritual just demonstrates how far Russia still has to go before it becomes a full-fledged Western democracy. In a real democracy, leaders only take pre-approved soft-ball questions from a select group of hand-picked journalists and then read their answers from teleprompters. Tough or unexpected questions are either ignored or given a pat answer devoid of any real information. After 20 minutes or so, that's a wrap. Under no circumstances are leaders to field countless questions from a range of sources, and extemporaneously provide detailed answers on a wide range of subjects. Sound about right?
Actually, the reason Western leaders don't do such things is because they're simply incapable of it. They don't have a command of all the facts and figures. They know their 'policy positions' are just slogans and sound bites made up for public consumption, so their answers are never in-depth or backed up by anything of substance. And they know the justification for the 'party line' is based on a foundation of deceit and lies, so they can't give adequate space for facts or other points of view. When you're following a script, you can't be spontaneous. Putin, on the other hand, can do so because he's something all his Western 'colleagues' are not: a real leader.
What follows are some of the highlights of today's Q&A. Check back for updates as they come. Here's the full video, if you have 4 hours to spare:
Russian President Vladimir Putin held his annual marathon press conference today. Over 1,600 journalists were accredited for the event, which ended up lasting just under four hours.
The entire ritual just demonstrates how far Russia still has to go before it becomes a full-fledged Western democracy. In a real democracy, leaders only take pre-approved soft-ball questions from a select group of hand-picked journalists and then read their answers from teleprompters. Tough or unexpected questions are either ignored or given a pat answer devoid of any real information. After 20 minutes or so, that's a wrap. Under no circumstances are leaders to field countless questions from a range of sources, and extemporaneously provide detailed answers on a wide range of subjects. Sound about right?
Actually, the reason Western leaders don't do such things is because they're simply incapable of it. They don't have a command of all the facts and figures. They know their 'policy positions' are just slogans and sound bites made up for public consumption, so their answers are never in-depth or backed up by anything of substance. And they know the justification for the 'party line' is based on a foundation of deceit and lies, so they can't give adequate space for facts or other points of view. When you're following a script, you can't be spontaneous. Putin, on the other hand, can do so because he's something all his Western 'colleagues' are not: a real leader.
What follows are some of the highlights of today's Q&A. Check back for updates as they come. Here's the full video, if you have 4 hours to spare:
Some of the high points so far...
Kind words for the US administration, and a reminder that Trump is 'constrained' by 'known limitations': 'Known limitations' hold Trump back from doing what he'd like to
"There are things [Donald Trump] would like to do, but so far couldn't, meaning healthcare reform and several other issues. He's spoken about improving relations with Russia. It is obvious, that even if he wanted it, he is unable to, due to known limitations," the president said Thursday.
"I don't know whether [Trump] still wishes [to improve relations with Russia] or whether this desire is completely exhausted," Putin continued. "I hope that he does and, after all, [I trust that, in] the interests of the American and Russian people, we will eventually normalize our relations, develop them and will fight common threats."
Kind words for the US administration, and a reminder that Trump is 'constrained' by 'known limitations': 'Known limitations' hold Trump back from doing what he'd like to
"There are things [Donald Trump] would like to do, but so far couldn't, meaning healthcare reform and several other issues. He's spoken about improving relations with Russia. It is obvious, that even if he wanted it, he is unable to, due to known limitations," the president said Thursday.
"I don't know whether [Trump] still wishes [to improve relations with Russia] or whether this desire is completely exhausted," Putin continued. "I hope that he does and, after all, [I trust that, in] the interests of the American and Russian people, we will eventually normalize our relations, develop them and will fight common threats."
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