Bush on Medvedev: I looked into his eyes and saw a “smart guy”

According to the New York Times today, President George W. Bush apparently looked into the eyes of Russian President Dmitri A. Medvedev and saw “a smart guy.” (Reader, if you recall, President Bush also looked into the eyes of former Russian President, Vlad “the impaler” Putin, and said he saw his soul and knew Putin was a good man. One must give Sen. McCain credit for his response noting that Putin wasn’t exactly acting like a Jeffersonian Democrat. And, McCain said, when he looked into Putin’s eyes, all he saw were three letters: K-G-B.)

How can President Bush come out with another absurd statement, this time about a man who was Putin’s chief of staff for 8 years? Does he really expect anything different from Medvedev? Does he expect Medvedev to stand up at this G-8 Conference and say different things from his mentor Putin? This is especially more disturbing in light of Putin having ripped Bush in a 2006 joint press conference. President Bush’s observations of Medvedev is patently and overtly absurd. Telling it is that Medvedev didn’t so much as hint after looking into the President’s eyes that Bush is a good man. Perhaps Bush is trying to build good will? That’s the best I can ascribe to his observation. Unfortunately, like McCain, when I see Medvedev, all I see is Putin’s KGB protege’.