NY Times White House Correspondent Peter Baker Meets Herndon High Students

Peter Baker discussed his books "Kremlin Rising-Vladimir Putin's Russia" and "Days of Fire- Bush and Cheney in the White House" with Honors Government students.  Olivia thanked Mr. Baker for an interesting morning.  This meeting took place on November 21, 2014.

Henderson-What do you think Putin would think of your book Kremlin Rising? ANSWER- Well I don't think it's an anti-Putin book but I know all the books we sent to Russia were not delivered. 

Lilian (left)-

LeClare (left)- To what extent do you think Putin wants to recreate the old Soviet Union? ANSWER- Not exactly create the old USSR but he does have the Soviet mindset though not communist. He wants to influence and dominate the countries that were in the Soviet Union. He thinks the U.S. is meddling in Ukraine.

Colleen (right) - Do you think Putin made a good point when he said after the West (America, Europe) told him to reach an agreement with Chechens that quote “Why don’t you meet Osama Bin Laden at the White House”? ANSWER- That was Putin giving what is called a "false equivalent".  By that I mean Chechnya was part of Russia, he was dealing with his own people. We were not.  With Chechnya Russia carpet-bombed that area and then bought off the locals basically saying "we'll let you live how you want just don't screw with us."

Jessica (center)- Is beer still considered a "soft drink" in Russia?  ANSWER- Yes, it's still a soft drink.  They tried to get people to drink beer instead of vodka but they just ended up drinking both. 

David (center)- In your book Days of Fire, President Bush wanted to push the immigration issue in his second term. Why was his view of immigration so different than his fellow Republicans in the House? ANSWER- He was from Texas and understood the immigration issue. He knew why people came across the border and wanted to address that. He did not want to separate families. He thought it was wrong to penalize children for their illegal parents.  The Republicans in the House were interested in securing the border and not interested in talking about any other aspect of immigration until that was settled. He felt let down by the Democrats.

Olivia- Based on your reporting of President Bush and President Obama what do you think we should know about them? ANSWER- They both want to do the right thing for the country. They have a public image they have to maintain even though they go through very difficult times. One should not demonize the president because they disagree with him. The media can portray them as evil but they are real people and you should evaluate their honesty.

Elizabeth- From the time you first thought about writing a book about Bush and Cheney, how long was it until you were holding that book? ANSWER- It took seven years to get Days of Fire published. Part of that was switching jobs and putting off work.  I had something like 400 interviews and it took a lot of time to gather all the information.  

Luis- You wrote that prior to 9/11 Putin warned Bush about an attack and after 9/11 he cancelled military exercises so they would not distract the U.S.  Did Putin like Bush?  Does he like Americans? ANSWER- They had a moment of friendship after 9/11.  As far as working together after 9/11 Putin figuratively said the U.S. and Russia would "meet at the Elbe" meaning the river in Germany where American and Russian troops met in WW II. Putin did get along with Bush although Bush regretted his "I've seen the sense of his soul" comment.  I was in Russia on 9/11 and Russians had a lot of sympathy toward Americans.  People were coming up to me and offering condolences, showing pictures of themselves in front of the World Trade Center.

Prince- We read in Kremlin Rising about the “All You Can Drink Vodka Marathon Contests” in Russia. Did you ever participate in one of those?  ANSWER- NO!  I hate vodka.  Vodka does so much damage in Russia. They see it almost as a spiritual beverage. They make vodka bottles without resealable lids because it is assumed you will drink an entire bottle as soon as you open it. It is killing their society.

Andrea- You wrote that Obama was taking a page from President Bush's playbook by doing what he wants regardless of election results.  Do you see those two as having a similar approach to the presidency? ANSWER- Well they certainly would not say no. Bush graduated from Harvard and was much smarter than people gave him credit for. Obama is more intellectual, lawyerly.  Bush is more decisive and followed his gut more. They have different ideals but many of the things they did were similar.

Anthony- You have covered the White House.  Have you ever wanted to cover Congress or the Supreme Court? ANSWER- I would like to interview people in the Supreme Court more than Congress since the Supreme Court is mysterious unlike Congress when you can just walk up to a congressman or senator and  interview them.

Yousif- You quoted First Lady Laura Bush as saying "It's such a lonely job" referring her husband’s presidency. Are you able to see that in President Obama? Does he seem lonely or stressed? ANSWER- It's lonely for all of them. It's a tough existence. You can't go for a walk without sharpshooters. President Clinton called the White House "the Crown Jewel of the Federal Prison system".  Everything you do is scrutinized and watched. There is a lot of pressure on the president. But we shouldn't feel sorry for him.

Mercy- Do you think it was a good move for the Russian people when Putin told them they could be proud of the Soviet Union? ANSWER- Russia has a different outlook now but they are proud to have been part of the Soviet Union.  They had great accomplishments in science, literature, the arts, sports.  Some people, like Putin saw the end of the USSR as a catastrophe. 25% of Russians said they would vote for Stalin for president.  Their pride was wounded.

Ashley (left)- German leader Angela Merkel told President Obama that Putin "was not in touch with reality." Do you think Putin is in any way mentally ill? ANSWER- Putin looks at things differently than we do.  He's in a paranoid position.

Nay (center)- What was it about President Bush that when everyone, including the military was against increasing troops in Iraq (the Surge), he did it anyway? ANSWER- He knew it was the turning point in his presidency. He had to find a way to finish the war.  It was a really big decision and it turned out alright.

Ronan (right)- NBC reported that Jews had to register in Russian controlled Crimea.  Do you think Putin ordered that and if so, why? ANSWER- I don't know if Putin ordered that but there certainly has been anti-Semitism in Russia.  It's not unusual to hear things about Jews in Russia where if you heard them in the U.S. you'd say "You shouldn't say something like that." Putin has tried to improve relations with Jews in Russia and with Israel.

Amasyah- Has Russia improved their HIV situation since you wrote Kremlin Rising and do teenagers still mix their blood with heroin…and why did they do that? ANSWER- Russia has a demographic crisis.  They smoke and drink too much. Their population is dying too soon. Putin thinks about the birth rate too much. The average life-span for a Russian man is 59. Part of that is HIV and the drug trade through Central Asia. 

Saul- In Kremlin Rising you wrote the 2004 Russian Presidential campaign was pointless.  In what ways was that pointless? ANSWER- Putin won 99% of the vote.  It was controlled by the state. He would have won anyway but they still stuffed ballot boxes.  It was not a fair election.

Jake (2nd left)- In Kremlin Rising you wrote about Russia’s “brand identity.”  What would you say their brand identity is now? ANSWER- Russia was cool when I was there.  Putin is working on restoring pride.  However Putin isolated Russia when after building up all the good will and money spent after the Sochi Olympics he took Crimea.  They have become "Soviet Light."

Jamie- We're going to be at the White House on January 8th.  Do you want to hang out with us? ANSWER- Sure, if it works with my schedule. You're going to see the East Room and that is really cool!