George HW Bush doesn't grant many interviews these days, but he took a moment to speak with The Washington Post like a proud father, defending his son's relationship building skills.
"All I know is I am very proud of the relationships he has established with different leaders," former President Bush said about current President Bush. "It's not only the Chinese leadership, he says. "It's also [Russian Prime Minister Vladimir] Putin. He gets criticized for that, but I think it's smart and wise and right that he has pleasant relationships with people and that they trust him. I think he's developing that with [French President Nicolas] Sarkozy. I know it's there with Putin."
Of course, this is while Russia is making powerplays in Georgia... so Bush continues: "It doesn't mean you approve of what Putin is doing or his denial of human rights in Russia. That's the thing that gets me about some of these critics. They think if you establish a personal relationship, that you're then signing off on everything that person does. And that's not right."
Watch the video / read the full article about what George HW Bush has to say about China.
