Well they pick the perfect person to lecture Russia:
Vice President Dick Cheney, in remarks that caused a stir in neighboring Russia, accused President Vladimir Putin Thursday of restricting the rights of citizens and said that “no legitimate interest is served” by turning energy resources into implements of blackmail.
“In Russia today, opponents of reform are seeking to reverse the gains of the last decade,” Cheney told a conference of Eastern European leaders whose countries once lived under Soviet oppression, and now in Russia’s shadow.
Cheney’s speech blended praise for the progress Eastern European countries have made toward democracy since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, with an exhortation to continue on the same path.
“The democratic unity of Europe ensures the peace of Europe,” he said.
He said Russia has a choice to make when it comes to reform, and said that in many areas, “from religion and the news media to advocacy groups and political parties, the government has unfairly and improperly restricted the rights of the people.”
Yes – how dare they use fuel as a blackmail tool. What’s next? Maybe the controlling party will try to pay off the citizens by giving them money.
And to restrict their rights. Now that is just wrong. People should be able to talk freely on the phone without worrying about government listening in, or be able to get on an airplane without fear of being labeled a terrorist. And for that news media – yes they should be free. They should be able to report what stories are important to their citizens without being dragged before judges and questioned on their sources. The government also should not employ propaganda people to feed positive stories to the news media.
Let’s get one thing clear – what Cheney said is very true. Here is the problem though. The criticism he put on Russia echoes the same criticism we place on our leaders here at home. The difference is Cheney is acting like a patriot and we act like “terrorist sympathizers” or “unpatriotic”. Want to talk about a hypocrite – well there you have it. The hypocrite is Cheney and we know that his mouth has caused problems already in the world. You can expect an almost certain backlash from his idiotic remarks.