While the Media always has a spoonfed list of topics supposedly discussed when Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush get together for their occasional summits, with said list carefully tailored for domestic consumption in both Russia and the U.S., I've always wondered what they REALLY talk about.
We may have gained some meaningful insights into this question in the last few weeks. As the NSA Spy Scandal unfolds here, I wonder if W got some helpful hints from his ex-KGB pal. On the Russian side of the ledger, their Senate just passed severely-restrictive regulations on human-rights groups. Do u think W passed along helpful recipes on villification and marginalization?
The two undoubtedly share a belief that an independent and critical media is a huge and unnecessary pain-in-the-butt. On this potential problem, they have utilized somewhat-different tactics. Putin has mostly outlawed independent media--W has villified and co-opted them.
They also share an interest in energy, particularly since Putin destroyed Yukos and made it a state enterprise. George has similarly enriched his friends through a continued dependence on fossil fuel.
But I believe this whole spying business has probably been Topic A for these two rulers. After all, Daddy Bush was head of the CIA while Putin was plying his trade w/the KGB. Intelligence in all its glory is essential for both prosecuting the War on Terror and especially for muzzling any pesky dissidents who might dare to challenge the throne. Funny that Abortion Clinic Bombers, Neo-Nazis, and Militias didn't show up on W's Defense Watch List, as the Quakers, PETA folks and Enviros did.
I would wager that these summits have led to cooperation on all kinds of neat-o techniques for monitoring suspicious citizens in these respective, if often less than respectable, republics.