John Chuckman
COMMENT POSTED TO AN ARTICLE IN PRAVDA
“Putin's interview for Austrian television: Tough answers to most provocative questions”
Some Interesting points.
The Austrian journalist was out-of-line a few times (asking something again before Putin even had finished the answer to the previous question) as likely would be the case for many Western journalists doing such an interview, given the highly charged political environment in which they work and the pressures to get a cheap reaction rather than some information. But President Putin perfectly brought him back into line, and did so in his own language, German.
An unusual gesture for a politician or political leader being interviewed in the West, refreshing, and entirely appropriate and fitting. Our own politicians follow the now-standardized practice of just not answering a question and “staying on message” by repeating the same non-answer over and over, a highly annoying practice, originating in the United States, which yields zero potential for listeners to learn anything.
When you listen to Putin, you learn something. I think that alone is one of the significant measures of this extraordinary man.
I did like the journalist's general observations, after the interview, on Putin's voice and manner. A soft, sonorous voice and a calm, unpretentious manner. I find that highly accurate judging from my own observations over the Internet.
Just compare the bellowing and bluster and hammy-acted sternness of Trump or, indeed, the frequently displayed arrogance and preachiness of Obama.
Russia has an extraordinary man as its leader, undoubtedly a man who will be spoken of a century from now, while most of the West's current crop of leaders are utterly forgettable.
