While President Joe Biden took a serious tone last night in attacking Vladimir Putin, former President George W. Bush was in Chicago, making his own jabs at the Russian leader.
Bush headlined a benefit fundraiser for the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, which Gov. JB Pritzker helped build. The governor gave opening remarks before Bush took the stage for a Q&A with museum CEO Susan Abrams.
The Republican former president managed to mix serious comments about Ukraine with takes on Putin, and some humor too. He began by telling a story about once playing host to Putin.
“I introduced Vladimir Putin to Barney, our Scottish terrier, and [Putin] dissed him. A year later, Laura and I go visit Vladimir and his wife — this was before he decided to be with a gymnast 30 years younger — and he says, ‘I want you to meet my dog.’ I said, ‘Yeah, sure.’ And I’ll never forget, out runs a huge Russian hound," Bush said. "And Putin says ‘Bigger, stronger, and faster than Barney.’" (Big laugh from the audience here.)
Bush added: “By the way, I told that to the Canadian prime minister and he said, ‘At least he only showed you his dog.’”
It was a funny setup to a deeper discussion about Putin’s aggressive actions toward Ukraine. “In [Putin’s] view the demise of the Soviet Union is bad for the Russian people, so we’re watching him try to reinstate Soviet hegemony,” said Bush. “He picks weak people to do that. He thought Ukraine was weak, but it’s not. Ukraine is showing a backbone and a spine that this world sorely needs to see.”
The crowd of 1,300 guests ate it up. Here’s an abbreviated take on some of Bush’s other comments.
Regarding how Germany has responded to Russia invading Ukraine: “The Germans attitude has shifted completely from becoming guilt-ridden pacifists to people who understand that liberty is under attack and we have to do something about it.”
On China: “I don’t think they want to be too cozy with Putin at this moment. So this may be an opportunity to conduct some diplomacy that [creates] an alliance of convenience. The president’s foreign policy team has an opportunity to deal with China in a way that will surprise the country. … Putin loves the idea of isolating China against the United States. The idea of China needing Putin’s energy gives Putin a chance to say to the world: ‘The United States is no longer as significant as it used to be. It's now Russia and China.’ And that’s just not going to hold given his actions in Ukraine.”
What messages do we take from the events of 9/11? “The human condition matters to our security. We cannot be an isolationist nation and hope to protect ourselves. The idea that how other people live does not matter is foolhardy. The lesson of 9/11, there are people who can’t stand our way of life and are willing to do us harm. And therefore, the United States must be forward-leaning in protecting our people, not hoping for the best. The lesson of 9/11 is still relevant today.”
Switching gears…
What parental advice did he give his daughters? “Girls, I love you. There’s nothing you can do to make me stop loving you. So stop trying.”
What about his friendship with Michelle Obama? “I sit next to her at funerals. And political funerals tend to go way too long, so I’m bored. I gave her a mint. … And after I got in the car, Jenna [his daughter] called and said ‘Dad, you’re trending.’ It was an illuminating moment for me because the country is starved for the kind of relationship where a Republican and a Democrat don’t have to be warring.”
DUMP RUSSIA: Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot are taking steps to extricate Illinois and the city from Russia.
The governor has sent letters to the Illinois State Board of Investments, Teachers’ Retirement System Board, and State Universities Retirement System Board, calling for them to “explore the potential of divesting state pension assets from Russian-based companies and Russian assets and the feasibility of doing so.” The state has a $100 billion portfolio.
“The State of Illinois stands with the people of Ukraine and nations around the world supporting peace in the country,” Pritzker wrote in the letter sent late Monday.
Lightfoot has called for suspending Chicago’s sister city relationship with Moscow — a tactic that's trending across the country. “While this is not a decision I enter into lightly, we must send an unambiguous message: we strongly condemn all actions by the Putin regime,” she said in a statement, adding that on Monday, she directed World Business Chicago to suspend the relationship.
Thirty-two members of the Chicago City Council called for ending the relationship with Moscow outright. In a statement tweeted by Ald. Raymond Lopez, the council members said Moscow’s sister city status should be “revoked” and that the Russian capital city should not be allowed to get back in the program until “normal diplomatic relations are reinstated.”
The Illinois actions follow efforts across the country to put the squeeze on Russia for its aggression in Ukraine.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom called for divesting any Russian investments in state pension funds (California State Controller Betty Yee, however, issued a statement last night raising doubts about how quickly something like that could happen, particularly when the value of Russian assets have plummeted in the last week). New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order to ban state agencies from doing business with Russia. The Indiana House passed legislation calling for sanctions against Russia.
And Georgia House Speaker David Ralston, a Republican, received a bipartisan standing ovation when he told lawmakers he would push to divest state retirement funds from Russian assets too.
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