From Associated Press: Putin Offers Blunt Victory Day Speech

Who was President Vladimir Putin talking about when he said the world faces threats to peace like those that led to World War II?

Putin’s statement at a Victory Day parade on Red Square on Wednesday was artfully phrased to be both blunt and vague, but political observers have little doubt he was criticizing the United States for “disrespect for human life, claims to global exclusiveness and dictate, just as it was in the time of the Third Reich.”

[snip]

Shortly after his speech at the parade, Putin told veterans at a Kremlin reception that World War II showed “where militarist ambitions, ethnic intolerance and any attempts to recarve the globe are leading to.”

[Sergei] Markov [Institute for Political Research] saw that as another veiled reference to the United States.

“After the Cold War ended, the United States has initiated a new arms race,” fueling nuclear ambitions of many nations worldwide, he said.

“If a nation doesn’t have nuclear weapons, it risks being bombed like Yugoslavia or Iraq,” he said. “And if it does have nuclear weapons like North Korea, it faces no such threat.”

Because we don’t have enough problems, let’s re-start the Cold War. People don’t like it when you start throwing your weight around around, especially when they know you don’t have the resources to back up your words.

The real problem is that we have left ourselves in the position that Russia can be a bigger pain than the Soviet Union was. A lot of people who ignored the Soviets, listen to Russia. Russia is vital to European energy needs for some time into the future, giving them leverage.

The BBC covers the announcement, Blair will stand down on 27 June, and provides the press releases, In quotes: Global reaction to Blair’s exit.

John McKay does a quick round-up of The Blair years, but while noting Today’s the day, Jams O’Donnell needs some time to think about how he views what every one knew was coming.

My personal take is that Tony Blair did his country a great disservice associating himself with the Shrubbery. I would hope that that decision isn’t the only thing remembered from his ten years as Prime Minister.

At this point I suspect that Mike has a mole in the government working to provide him with this kind of publicity.

U.S. Treasury investigating Michael Moore:

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore is under investigation by the U.S. Treasury Department for taking ailing Sept. 11 rescue workers to Cuba for a segment in his upcoming health-care documentary “Sicko,” The Associated Press has learned.

The investigation provides another contentious lead-in for a provocative film by Moore, a fierce critic of President Bush. In the past, Moore’s adversaries have fanned publicity that helped the filmmaker create a new brand of opinionated blockbuster documentary.

“Sicko” promises to take the health-care industry to task the way Moore confronted America’s passion for guns in “Bowling for Columbine” and skewered Bush over his handling of Sept. 11 in “Fahrenheit 9/11.”

In demonstration of my fairness and balance I would like to point out that this report reads like Mike wrote it. They included – the name of new film as well as the last two, the mention of the Academy Award, “a new brand of opinionated blockbuster documentary”…this is a rewritten press release.

I don’t guess the Treasury has anything better to do than enrich Michael Moore’s legal staff while positioning itself to seem to be opposing health care for September 11^th workers. I hope they like the way Mike will portray them in the movie.

The Associated Press reports: Fight breaks out at Boston Pops concert

Concert-goers, and even Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart, were caught off-guard when a fight broke out on opening night at usually sedate Symphony Hall.

Television video of the fight Wednesday night showed two men struggling in the balcony — one with his shirt pulled off — as several people stood around them.

Lockhart briefly halted the performance, which featured singer-songwriter Ben Folds, while the men were escorted out.

This didn’t happen when Arthur Fielder was the conductor, although one suspects that even Arthur would have been caught “off guard” by people brawling. Of course it was in the balcony. One certainly hopes the individuals weren’t season ticket holders.

Really, it’s not like this was opera or hippity-hop or whatever.