Gates: Putin remarks blunt spy talk

The US and Russia are interdependent in so many areas of mutual concern that the media's tendency to exaggerate differences on any specific issues leads the uninformed person to form a simplistically wrong impression of the overall strength of the relationship.I guarantee you that a Russian President will again break bread with an American one for many years to come.Both countries are too important not to cooperate with each other.

"Many of you have backgrounds in diplomacy or politics," former CIA director Robert Gates told the Munich Security Conference. "I have, like your second speaker yesterday, a starkly different background - a career in the spy business. And, I guess, old spies have a habit of blunt speaking."

Who do I prefer? A blunt speaker who tells me exactly what he thinks, even if it means using tough language that is hard on the ears? Or someone who uses nice and diplomatic language which masks his true intentions? Give me the blunt guy anyday!

The US and Russia are interdependent in so many areas of mutual concern that the media's tendency to exaggerate differences on any specific issues leads the uninformed person to form a simplistically wrong impression of the overall strength of the relationship.I guarantee you that a Russian President will again break bread with an American one for many years to come.Both countries are too important not to cooperate with each other.

"Many of you have backgrounds in diplomacy or politics," former CIA director Robert Gates told the Munich Security Conference. "I have, like your second speaker yesterday, a starkly different background - a career in the spy business. And, I guess, old spies have a habit of blunt speaking."

Who do I prefer? A blunt speaker who tells me exactly what he thinks, even if it means using tough language that is hard on the ears? Or someone who uses nice and diplomatic language which masks his true intentions? Give me the blunt guy anyday!