Obama tells Russia’s Putin the Cold War is history

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said former Russian President Vladimir Putin and his hand-picked successor should expect an in-person reminder the Cold War is over when the U.S. leader makes his first trip to a Moscow summit.

Days before he departs for Russia, Obama said Thursday that Putin “still has a lot of sway” in his nation as its nominal prime minister. “I think that it’s important that even as we move forward with President Medvedev that Putin understand that the old Cold War approaches to U.S.-Russian relations is outdated,” he said. “Putin has one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new.”

In an interview with The Associated Press, Obama discussed a wide range of topics:

—The president said he could see abandoning his own proposal to indefinitely hold some terror detainees —”it gives me great pause” — and that he would not be comfortable ordering such a disposition for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prisoners without congressional action.

—In light of recent Supreme Court cases dealing with highly charged questions about the nation’s racial progress, Obama said the high court was “moving the ball” away from affirmative action. Yet he also noted that the justices had not foreclosed the continued use of racial preferences in hiring and college admissions, which he said he supports in some circumstances. In any case he said affirmative action is neither the panacea — nor the problem — that it’s often made out to be.

—With most experts in agreement that there’s a good chance Iran could have a usable nuclear bomb sometime during his presidency, Obama said, “I’m not reconciled with that.”

—Asked about Michael Jackson’s death, an event that has transfixed many, Obama said he didn’t see any controversy in the fact that he did not issue a formal public statement about the pop star and knew of no dissatisfaction among blacks about that. He called Jackson a brilliant performer whose talents were paired with a tragic, sad personal life.

The 24-minute interview, with Obama nearly six months into his job and his approval ratings still high, ranged from the serious to the silly. Asked to let Americans in on a secret about White House life, the president chose the pastry chef and rued that “the best pie I have ever tasted” is a challenge to the first couple’s self-discipline and waistlines.

Asked to choose between basketball greats Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, Obama — a committed hoops player and fan of Jordan’s Chicago Bulls — didn’t pause for even a second. “Michael,” he said, picking the retired superstar. “I haven’t seen anybody match up with Jordan yet.”

Scheduled to depart Sunday for a trip to Russia, an international summit in Italy and his first trip to sub-Saharan Africa as president, Obama praised Moscow for its cooperation in international efforts to persuade North Korea and Iran to abandon their nuclear development programs. After North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test in May, the United Nations approved “the most robust sanction regime that we’ve ever seen with respect to North Korea,” he said.

He expressed optimism he could get international agreement for even tougher action if North Korea persists in defying demands that it dismantle its nuclear weapons and stop production. The U.N. sanctions, for instance, did not include one thing the U.S. wanted: allowing the use of military force to board and inspect ships suspected of carrying banned weapons.

“In international diplomacy, people tend to want to go in stages,” Obama said. “There potentially is room for more later.”

The main agenda item for Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow is to advance talks on a new strategic arms reduction treaty to replace one that expires in December.

In addition to sitting down with Medvedev, Obama also is meeting with Putin, the former president who now is prime minister but still a major force.

He said Medvedev understands that, but Putin needs convincing that the U.S. wants cooperation rather than “an antagonistic relationship.”

Putin responded Friday in characteristically colorful language.

“We don’t know how to stand so awkwardly with our legs apart,” he said in televised remarks. “We stand solidly on our own two feet and always look into the future.”

His spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, had said earlier Friday that Obama was wrong about the premier. “Such a point of view has nothing to do with a true understanding of Putin,” he told the AP, and suggested the reason for Obama’s view was simply that he “has not yet spoken with Putin — they are not acquainted.”

Peskov said that Obama’s planned breakfast meeting with Putin on Tuesday should clear the air.

“I am convinced that after this meeting, the president (Obama) will change his point of view about (Putin),” he said.

On Afghanistan, Obama said he intends to reassess the possible need for additional U.S. troops after the nation holds national elections in August, but that he believes America’s key goals can be met there “without us increasing our troop levels.” He has ordered 21,000 more troops to Afghanistan this summer, bringing the U.S. total to 68,000.

Minutes before his vice president, Joe Biden, landed in Iraq for a two-day visit, Obama said he was confident — but not certain — that the timetables for removing U.S. troops from that war will hold. This week marked a major milestone in the war when U.S. troops pulled out of major Iraqi cities.

“I reserve the right to make changes based on changing circumstances to protect U.S. security,” he said.

With joblessness rising, the president said he was “deeply concerned” that too many families are worried about “whether they will be next.”

New government figures out Thursday showed the unemployment rate grew to 9.5 percent last month, and economists agree it is likely to rise into the double digits. Since Obama signed the $780 billion economic stimulus bill in February, the economy has shed more than 2 million jobs.

“What we are still seeing is too many jobs lost,” said Obama.