US Election 2004

While Kerry has claimed that unnamed foreign leaders secretly are support him for President, it does not look like Russia’s Putin is in that group but Putin gives some hints as to which foreign leaders are looking forward to a Bush defeat.

Russia’s St. Petersburg Times gives an account of Putin’s comments last week in the context of prior statements by Putin.

"I believe that the activities of terrorists in Iraq are not as much aimed at the coalition as at President Bush personally ... The goal of international terrorism is to prevent the election of President Bush to a second term," Putin said.

"If they achieve that goal, then they will of course celebrate it as a victory... over America and, to a certain extent, over the forces of the international antiterrorism coalition," Putin told reporters in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, after a regional cooperation conference.

Putin, however, was quick to point out that his views on the U.S.-led war on Iraq continues to differ from those of Bush and that he will "respect any choice of the American people" for president.
 
Asked by a reporter whether Democratic challenger John Kerry's criticism of Bush over Iraq might be inspiring international terrorist networks, as Bush contends, Putin said only that the Kremlin is ready to work with whoever wins the Nov. 2 election.

Putin openly criticized the Democrats when he first voiced support for Bush's re-election on June 10. Speaking on the sidelines of a G8 summit in Sea Island, Georgia, Putin accused the Democrats of hypocrisy for criticizing Bush administration's actions in Iraq by pointing out that it had been Bill Clinton's administration that authorized the 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia by U.S. and NATO forces.

Eight days later, Putin offered Bush more support by announcing that before the Iraq war started, Russian intelligence had passed over information indicating Saddam Hussein was planning attacks on U.S. targets. [S. Saradzhyan, Putin: Bush Must Win or Terrorist Will Triumph, The St. Petersburg Times, 10/19/2004]

Iranian Terror Caucus (2/12/2004)

Image Source: Cox and Forkum

UPDATE 10/24/2004: While browsing, I found the following from last year which predicted the tone of the Kerry campaign.

Negative Reinforcements (5/20/2003)

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