The date was Feb. 15, 2000, and Republican presidential hopefuls had gathered for a crucial debatein Columbia, S.C.. Among the topics of discussion was Russia and its newly anointed (but not yet formally elected) leader, Vladimir Putin. Many Western politicians were already hailing the energetic official who spoke fluent German and had worked with a reformist mayor in St. Petersburg — and who would offer a welcome change from the erratic Boris Yeltsin years. The Republican frontrunner, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, was diplomatic, noting only that “the verdict on Mr. Putin is out . . . we don’t know enough about him.” (It would take another year for Bush to “get a sense of [Putin’s] soul” and forge a partnership.)
Bush’s main challenger, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, begged to differ.
