by CKR
Returning to one of my pet peeves...
"Vladimir--I call him Vladimir--" has been invited now, by President Bush, to visit the Bush family compound at Kennebunkport and to send his generals to examine the US missile defense system, maybe even buy one themselves from the US contractors that are currently taking in only nine billion dollars a year on that scam. Maybe they could do the same for the Russians...?
The protocol, until this guy with the cowboy hat showed up, has been to refer to foreign leaders by their titles. So in a press conference, a president of the United States would refer to Prime Minister Blair or Chancellor Merkel or President Putin. A head of state speaking as head of state about other heads of state owes them a bit of respect; at least that's how I see it.
With Mr. Putin (or any Russian) the lack of protocol is compounded by President Bush's lack of understanding of how Russians use names. "Vladimir Vladimirovich" might have sounded less bizarre in the above context, although it's still a bit too cozy for my understanding of protocol. First name plus patronymic (the -ovich name) is an everyday usage by Russians. If Mr. Bush is truly close to Mr. Putin, a diminutive like Vova (childish, I'm told, although I know an adult Vova) or Volodya or Vlad would be what he would call him or the way he would refer to him among close friends.
It could be that by referring to world leaders by their first names, Mr. Bush is trying to show us his closeness to those leaders. Or it could be a manifestation of his reported bullying, or a mindless submission to the false intimacy that causes call-center operators to ask me if they can call me Cheryl. Speculation about these subtexts is the reason for the protocol: when a head of state speaks, none of this should be included in the message. Avoiding error is useful in these situations. Mr. Bush's usage is striking enough that both the Washington Post and the Guardian have quoted it two days in a row.
In a tense situation such as that occasioned by the Bush administration's usual lack of consultation, it's better to avoid the needlessly annoying. If Mr. Bush were truly friendly with Mr. Putin, he would learn how Mr. Putin prefers his name used in public. Even the call center operators have the courtesy to ask for their false intimacy.
Picture credits
Bush driving
Putin driving