While Speigel is seeing a Bush who tells things like they are the Wasington Post calls it The Bush-Putin Mutual Admiration Society. It’s funny how these things are seen differently.

In the first test of the lofty promises from Bush’s inaugural address, in which he vowed to confront “every ruler and every nation” about internal repression with the goal of “ending tyranny in our world,” Bush gently chided Putin by noting that “democracies have certain things in common: They have a rule of law and protection of minorities, a free press and a viable political opposition.”

I guess the post wanted to see Bush leading Putin around by a leash.

Okay, I don’t think Spiegel for one instant think that German Chancellor Gerhard Shroeder should take on the same ideology as US President George W. Bush but it sure is clear they would like to see him act more like President Bush.

But Bush, for all his diplomatic bumbling prior to and even since the Iraq war (and including his faux pas on Wednesday night when he neglected to take off his gloves when greeting his Slovakian hosts), is not shy about confronting Putin when he sees a problem. Furthermore, he does so publicly, making it much more difficult for Putin to return to business as usual. Indeed, the cheery press conference — while to be expected — was all the more interesting for the clear disagreements separating the two leaders and the direct way Bush addressed those differences. Diplomacy, Bush seemed to be saying, can — and perhaps should — work like a friendship. Tell your friend when you think he or she is straying. But at the same time, show your commitment to the foundation of the relationship.

It’s quite clear that Spiegel, at least, sees a lot of value in the Bush approach if not the Bush doctrine.