Goose Steps and Hip Wiggles

White House communications director Dan Bartlett "said Mr. Bush felt no discomfort about appearing as a prominent actor in a tableau of Soviet imagery, including flowing banners bearing the hammer and sickle and a martial parade that evoked past Soviet celebrations -- though without the displays of tanks and missiles that once rattled cold war nerves."

Julie Mason writes in the Houston Chronicle: "After pointing to the future with calls for reconciliation between Russia and its former occupied territories, President Bush visited the past Monday, taking a seat of honor at a V-E Day celebration here featuring goose-stepping soldiers and the hammer and sickle, symbols of Russia's brutal communist past. . . .

"But the Russians' aggressive militaristic display provided what seemed an awkward counterpoint to Bush's mission in Eastern Europe."

Meanwhile, in Private

Bush made no public statements yesterday, ceding the limelight to Putin. But in private, he reprised an old and important tradition.

Kim Murphy writes in the Los Angeles Times: "In another era, U.S. presidents attending summits here would meet on the sidelines with Soviet dissidents. The Americans would offer encouragement, professing confidence that the Cold War would one day end and democracy would come to Russia.

"On Monday, President Bush met with a new generation of Russian dissidents: leaders of civil groups advocating human rights, press freedom and other causes who have been the most outspoken over President Vladimir V. Putin's growing consolidation of power."

Murphy spoke to Alexei Yablokov, president of the Center for Ecological Policy of Russia and one of the delegates.

"I told Bush that if you have such good relations with Putin, then you must warn Putin against the direction he has chosen, the authoritarian path which can become very dangerous not only for Russia, but for the United States too," Yablokov said. "He nodded and said, 'Yes, yes, we shall see.' "

Georgia on His Mind

Jennifer Loven writes for the Associated Press: "President Bush, before a cheering crowd of tens of thousands of people, said Tuesday that the former Soviet republic of Georgia is proving to the world that determined people can rise up and claim their freedom from oppressive rulers. . . .

"Estimates of the crowd size -- in the square and the surrounding streets -- varied wildly, from less than 100,000 to more than 300,000. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said it was by far the largest gathering ever in the country, and it was certainly one of the largest Bush has ever addressed. . . .