McCain mixes ‘Pravdas’ in war of words with Putin

Just over a week after Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote an opinion piece in The New York Times in which he objected to the idea of "American exceptionalism" over Syria and other issues, US Cold War veteran Sen John McCain retaliated by penning a retort in Russia's Pravda newspaper, saying the Russian people deserve a better leader than the one they have.

"President Putin claims his purpose is to restore Russia to greatness at home and among the nations of the world. But by what measure has he restored your greatness?" McCain writes in the commentary, published yesterday on Pravda's English-language website.

"He has made her (Russia) a friend to tyrants and an enemy to the oppressed, and untrusted by nations that seek to build a safer, more peaceful and prosperous world," McCain says.

But The Wall Street Journal points out that while the 77-year-old senator from Arizona appears to have been thinking of Pravda, the Soviet-era Kremlin propaganda organ whose title means "Truth," his article instead appeared today on the pro-Kremlin website Pravda.ru.

The site, which supports Mr. Putin's United Russia party, is a rival of the newspaper of the same name owned by the opposition Communist Party.

The confusion stems from the ugly split between the two publications that emerged out of the ashes of the Soviet paper that once had a daily circulation of more than one million readers, but which closed in the 1990s. Pravda.ru was founded by journalists from the original Pravda, while the Communist Party created another paper with the same name. The two went to court over who had legitimate claim to the title, but in the end an arbitration court ruled both did.

When asked about the Pravda vs Pravda.ru flap last weekend, McCain said he hoped he would be writing for "the Communist publication," CNN reported.

McCain directly addresses the Russian people in his commentary, saying, "I believe in your capacity for self-government and your desire for justice and opportunity. I believe in the greatness of the Russian people, who suffered enormously and fought bravely against terrible adversity to save your nation. I believe in your right to make a civilization worthy of your dreams and sacrifices. When I criticize your government, it is not because I am anti-Russian."

McCain, who spent five-and-a-half years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, accused Putin of befriending "tyrants" and turning his back on efforts to build a "safer, more peaceful and prosperous world".

"President Putin doesn't believe in these values because he doesn't believe in you. He doesn't believe that human nature at liberty can rise above its weaknesses and build just, peaceful, prosperous societies. Or, at least, he doesn't believe Russians can. So he rules by using those weaknesses, by corruption, repression and violence. He rules for himself, not you," the Republican senator wrote.

Putin, too, had appealed directly to the public in his opinion piece, published on 11 September, urging the US to show caution over recent events in Syria.