Morning News: Up Denial
From an article about Russia’s slide “toward a more authoritarian system” in today’s Times.
Tanya Lokshina, the chairwoman of a Russian human rights organization, the Demos Center for Information and Research, was among those who met with Ms. Rice on Saturday. She said that given the focus on security matters, the meeting with rights campaigners had been mostly symbolic.
She contended that the United States had “lost the high moral ground,†and thus should join with European countries to make it clear to Mr. Putin that a drift further away from democracy was unacceptable diplomatically.
“The American voice alone doesn’t work anymore,†she said after the meeting. “The Russians are not influenced by it.†She said Ms. Rice had bristled at the criticism, replying sharply, “We never lost the high moral ground.â€
Whatever you say, Condi.