by Deb Cupples | CNN Reports:
"Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of orchestrating the conflict in Georgia to benefit one of its presidential election candidates....
"In an exclusive interview with CNN's Matthew Chance in the Black Sea city of Sochi on Thursday, Putin said the U.S. had encouraged Georgia to attack the autonomous region of South Ossetia."
"Putin said his defense officials had told him it was done to benefit a presidential candidate -- Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama are competing to succeed George W. Bush -- although he presented no evidence to back it up.
"'U.S. citizens were indeed in the area in conflict,' Putin said. 'They were acting in implementing those orders doing as they were ordered, and the only one who can give such orders is their leader.
"White House spokeswoman Dana Perino blasted Putin's statements, saying they were 'patently false.'" (CNN)
There you go. If Dana Perino says it, it must be true. Ms. Perino ruined her own credibility long ago by additively saying anything to make the Bush Adminsitration look good despite overwhelmingly damning evidence to the contrary.
On one hand, as CNN points out, Putin did not produce evidence backing up his claims.
On the other hand, both presidential candidates have seemed to side with Georgia against Russia. I don't know which position is correct, so I'm not saying that they're wrong. I'm just saying that both presidential candidates seem to be rather anti-Russia at this point.
Frankly, I don't know how any U.S. media would know whether Putin's accusations have (or don't have) any truth to them. I guess time'll tell on this one.
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