Soul Mates
Have you ever looked deep into someone’s eyes, and then - all of a sudden - you just knew? Well, George W. Bush famously had such a romantic experience. As we all know, in 2001 Bush got one look at the stars in Vladimir Putin’s eyes and did nothing less than get “a sense of his soul.” Ah. Love.
Ever since that fateful day, there have been signs that these two crazy kids might just be soul mates. For one thing, their administrations both like to help their citizens understand the news, by shaping it for them. But this New York Times story shows that there is pure magic in the air(waves).
On a talk show last fall, a prominent political analyst named Mikhail G. Delyagin had some tart words about Vladimir V. Putin. When the program was later televised, Mr. Delyagin was not.
Not only were his remarks cut — he was also digitally erased from the show, like a disgraced comrade airbrushed from an old Soviet photo. (The technicians may have worked a bit hastily, leaving his disembodied legs in one shot.)
Mr. Delyagin, it turned out, has for some time resided on the so-called stop list, a roster of political opponents and other critics of the government who have been barred from TV news and political talk shows by the Kremlin.
The stop list is, as Mr. Delyagin put it, “an excellent way to stifle dissent.”
You really can see a lot by looking into someone’s eyes.
And I can’t confirm this, but last time Bush and Putin met, I could have sworn I heard George singing this lovely little Ella Fitzgerald ditty to his comrade:
I never cared much for moonlit skies
I never wink back at fireflies
But now that the stars are in your eyes
I’m beginning to see the light.
George hearts Vlad. Sweet.
