President Pressures Putin to Promise Progress?

David Adesnik, of Oxblog, has written a very interesting analysis of President Bush's recent meeting and press conference in Bratislava, Slovakia, with President Vladimir Putin of Russia.


Here's a link for the story:

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED AT BRATISLAVA?

Mr. Adesnik is optimistic that President Bush will be able to prod Putin into halting his march towards dictatorship and perhaps reestablish some democratic conditions in Russia.

Here's a quote:

...when Bush says that Putin made a serious commitment to democracy at a private meeting with the President of the United States of America, that is exactly what Bush means. He has put Putin on the record and expects him to live up to his word, the same way that Bush lives up to his.

[...]

rather than give Putin a public thrashing, Bush is trying to secure a much clearer commitment from the Russian.

Based on what I know of President Bush and Mr. Putin, Mr. Adesnik's argument makes perfect sense. But I know a lot more about President Bush than I do about Mr. Putin, so I'm not confident that the Russian president will feel a need to be democratic.

I was directed to this story by a link on Glenn Reynolds' blog, Instapundit.