By giving him international prominence early
in Putin's tenture by saying exactly what I
wrote. Bush was at the height of popularity
and he gave Putin a huge amount of room
to maneuver within his own "democratic" country.

There were plenty of people telling Bush to be
careful with this guy within Russia. Be careful
with the big statements.

Putin has restored order.

If you want me to go through the list of people
within the Bush administration that were misjudged...