Bullshit, pt. III

Ah yes, there's one non-journalist who can always be counted on to use an Al Qaeda attack for his own aims: Vladimir Putin.

GLENEAGLES, Scotland - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the London attacks showed the world was insufficiently united in the fight against terrorism.

Putin said Russia had suffered terror attacks in the past, which killed hundreds of innocent citizens, and expressed his country's condolences.

"But what happened today demonstrates yet again that we are doing too little to unite our efforts in the most effective way in the battle against terrorism," he said.

He also called for an end to double standards — an appeal he has made before to his fellow world leaders, some of whom he has criticized for underestimating the terrorist ties of Chechen separatist rebels.

Good for you, Vlad. Let's up the ante, though. Who wants to be the first to compare the BQ to Bin Laden?

Actually, I'm not entirely unsympathetic to Russia's policy in Chechnya - not the least because the Chechen conflict a) has been incredibly barbaric, and b) does seem to be becoming "Al-Qaeda-ized", though it wasn't a bin Laden op when it started.

That said, Putin has been needlessly bloody in dealing with Chechnya, and he's an ass for trying to make London in to a blank check for his policy in Chechnya.