To Ben Smith's list of foreign-policy gaffes Hillary has made in this campaign I would add her confusion about the name and identity of then-future Russian president Medvedev.
--Michael Crowley
Posted: Thursday, April 24, 2008 11:18 AM with 8 comment(s)
The Medvedev thing is only a blunder if you're making false claims that your first-lady junkets give you unique, privileged access to the world's movers and shakers. I wouldn't otherwise expect a U.S. senator to know the resume of every foreign head of state, especially the ones who've only just taken office.
Well, I would. I'm an average citizen, and I took the trouble to get both the spelling and pronunciation of Medvedev's name right. It's a matter of basic respect that every politician, especially those running for president (or already president -- Bush is a total embarrassment in this regard) should have down by pat. Especially one whose husband was president for eight years and who went to both Wellesly and Yale.
Med VYEH dev is how it's pronounced.
Rhubarbs, he's been in the news quite a bit and will be quite a bit. It's a pretty embarrassing mistake, especially since you only put an 'a' at the end of women's last names in Russian.
I'm normally sensitive to such mangling of Russian politics by our political-journalistic elites, but this one's trivial because Medvedev _has no power_. It's his handler and his handler's handlers, aka the bandits, thugs and once and future FSB operatives, who set policy in Russia today. Medvedev is a figurehead, a joke. No shame in not paying much attention to this little Gazprom shill.
I agree with tep.
Question: "Who's the new leader of Russia?" Answer: "The old leader of Russia.
On a similar note, I'm really hoping Mugabe prevails in Zimbabwe. His name is easier to pronounce and easier to remember how to spell than "Tsvangirai." Plus, DNC sounds like the name of a stuffy union compared to ZANU-PF, which sounds like a trendy clothing brand.
...What? Mugabe is a tyrant?
...and I made a mistake! Tsvangirai's party is named the MDC! See how boring it is??? I proved my point.
Michael -
Why have you been saving this little tidbit - after all, the gaffe was made in February. I would note that the confusion was not about Medvedev's identify, only the pronunciation.
Tep - the last edition of TNR, while portraying Medvedev as Putin's lapdog (oops, I had "laptop") and as you note "Gazprom shill, " does hold out the hope that Dima might grow a pair and assert his power as President.
Putin's got a new _lapochka_. She's a "rhythmic gymnast." Russian homophobic patriots can rest easy now.