Kha kha, reip (rape) iz fani, no? (Putin's sense of "humour")
Tadas Blinda
Mr Putin's spokesman said the joke was not meant to be overheard.
[Oh well, that's all right then? Punish those who overheard it?]
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has been overheard joking about the
virility of his Israeli counterpart, who is accused of multiple rape.
A Russian journalist said Mr Putin joked that President Moshe Katsav
was a "mighty man", adding "we all envy him".
Mr Katsav is facing allegations that he raped members of his staff. He
strongly denies the claims.
A Kremlin spokesman admitted Mr Putin made a joke, but said it was not
meant to be overheard.
Mr Putin's comment was made at the end of a press conference held by
Mr Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Moscow, which
focused mainly on the Iran crisis.
As the leaders prepared to leave, the microphone caught Mr Putin
saying "greetings to your president". The microphone then went dead,
but journalist Andrei Kolesnikov told the BBC he heard the rest of the
comment.
He said the president continued: "What a mighty man he turns out to
be! He raped 10 women - I would never have expected this from him. He
surprised us all - we all envy him!" There reportedly followed loud
laughter among the official delegations.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov admitted: "Yes really, these words
were pronounced." But he said it "in no way means that President
Putin welcomes rape". Mr Katsav denies the allegations. "The
president was joking," he told the BBC's World Today radio programme.
"I don't think that the proper translation is able to reflect the
meaning of the joke ", Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov sadi. "Russian
is a very complicated language, sometimes it is very sensitive from
the point of view of phrasing."
[Absolute crap. All that pesky Peskov is trying to say is that Putin
was being sarcastic. Big deal. That excuses nothing. If Obama said
that he would be impeached.]
Israeli police have said there is enough evidence to charge Mr Katsav,
60, over allegations of "rape, forced sexual acts, sexual acts without
consent and sexual harassment". He may also be charged with wire-
tapping.
[He sould have stuck to wire-tapping.]
Ostap S. B. M. Bender Jr.
First of all, this took place more than 3 years ago and was discussed
extensively here at SCB at that time, with you probably participating.
Don't you remember?
That was in year 2006. Happy New Year 2010 to you. Did you have a
restful sleep?
>
> Mr Putin's spokesman said the joke was not meant to be overheard.
>
> [Oh well, that's all right then? Punish those who overheard it?]
>
This was a private personal conversation among delegations. FYI, in
personal conversations, people are allowed and expected to say things
that they are not allowed to say in the official capacity.
You should lighten up and shop for a sense of humour.
>
> Russia's President Vladimir Putin has been overheard joking about the
> virility of his Israeli counterpart, who is accused of multiple rape.
>
> A Russian journalist said Mr Putin joked that President Moshe Katsav
> was a "mighty man", adding "we all envy him".
>
> Mr Katsav is facing allegations that he raped members of his staff. He
> strongly denies the claims.
>
> A Kremlin spokesman admitted Mr Putin made a joke, but said it was not
> meant to be overheard.
>
> Mr Putin's comment was made at the end of a press conference held by
> Mr Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Moscow, which
> focused mainly on the Iran crisis.
>
> As the leaders prepared to leave, the microphone caught Mr Putin
> saying "greetings to your president". The microphone then went dead,
> but journalist Andrei Kolesnikov told the BBC he heard the rest of the
> comment.
> He said the president continued: "What a mighty man he turns out to
> be! He raped 10 women - I would never have expected this from him. He
> surprised us all - we all envy him!" There reportedly followed loud
> laughter among the official delegations.
>
Actually, Kolesnikov's version is Kolesnikov's only, and the Israeli
officials have a totally different story:
http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasen/spages/777473.html
Kremlin tries to explain away Putin's Katsav rape joke
"Say hello to your president. He really surprised us...," Putin said
to Olmert as reporters were being ushered out just after the two men
got down to talks in the Kremlin. An Israeli official said Putin
continued about President Moshe Katsav: "I met him. He didn't look
like a guy who could be with 10 women."
The Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he
was not authorized to speak with the press, said that after
microphones were switched off, Israel's ambassador to Russia joked
that Putin appeared envious of the Israeli president. Olmert told his
host: "I wouldn't envy him," said the official.
>
> Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov admitted: "Yes really, these words
> were pronounced." But he said it "in no way means that President
> Putin welcomes rape". Mr Katsav denies the allegations. "The
> president was joking," he told the BBC's World Today radio programme.
> "I don't think that the proper translation is able to reflect the
> meaning of the joke ", Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov sadi. "Russian
> is a very complicated language, sometimes it is very sensitive from
> the point of view of phrasing."
>
> [Absolute crap. All that pesky Peskov is trying to say is that Putin
> was being sarcastic. Big deal. That excuses nothing. If Obama said
> that he would be impeached.]
>
Your knowledge of USA is cartoon-like. I assure you that no US
President can be impeached for making a joke like that.
I would agree that if Obama made a joke like that, he would get into
hot water with feminists and Fox News would compare him to Hitler and
call for an immediate replacement of Obama with Bill O'Reily as US
President, but that would be the end of it.
You have to remember that Russia is much less PC-crazy and that humour
is almost an obsession with Russian journalists and even politicians.
I suspect Israel is similar in this regard, but cannot guarantee.
>
> There reportedly followed loud
> laughter among the official delegations.
>
>
Aha, so the Israeli officials should also have been impeached for
laughing at this funny joke? Doe shta tmean that they condone rape?
>
> Israeli police have said there is enough evidence to charge Mr Katsav,
> 60, over allegations of "rape, forced sexual acts, sexual acts without
> consent and sexual harassment". He may also be charged with wire-
> tapping.
>
> [He sould have stuck to wire-tapping.]
>
Maybe he finds sex as much fun as wire-tapping? Different people age
differently, you know. Katsav seems to be a mighty man. We all envy
him.
Happy 2010 to you.
lorad
>
> Mr Putin's spokesman said the joke was not meant to be overheard.
>
> [Oh well, that's all right then? Punish those who overheard it?]
>
> Russia's President Vladimir Putin has been overheard joking about the
> virility of his Israeli counterpart, who is accused of multiple rape.
>
> A Russian journalist said Mr Putin joked that President Moshe Katsav
> was a "mighty man", adding "we all envy him".
>
> Mr Katsav is facing allegations that he raped members of his staff. He
> strongly denies the claims.
>
> A Kremlin spokesman admitted Mr Putin made a joke, but said it was not
> meant to be overheard.
This is a political conundrum...
Katsev is a rapist...
And Putin is a murderer...
Which is worse?
Ostap S. B. M. Bender Jr.
Brewing bio-diesel in you kitchen, as you do. If it explodes, there
will be dozens of casualties.
lorad
But Katsev is *still* a rapist...
And Putin is *still* a murderer.
Ostap S. B. M. Bender Jr.
>
Since moving to Lithuania, you have started speaking English with a
heavy Lithuanian accent, Tadas.