Russians are Too Educated to Listen to the US: Clinton’s Response to Putin

Criticism of the voting in Russia’s parliamentary elections is not due to a desire by the American authorities to complicate relations with Russia, and the protests in Russia were not organized from outside, said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, responding to a comment by PBS Executive Editor and Anchor Jim Lehrer, who recalled Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s accusation that she incited unrest in Russia and made his situation, and the situation for the people of Russia, worse.

“I think one of our strongest values is our protection and advocacy for human rights, and in particular our support for democracy, and the recognition that although elections are not by any means the only definition of democracy, they are a kind of […] condition that would be—that has to be satisfied to go forward.

“And so we’re always looking at how we can communicate clearly what the United States stands for, and in this case what the Russian people deserve. I mean, this was not about the United States; this was about the people of Russia […] Independent observers had reached the conclusion that there was unfortunately a lot of interference, manipulation of the election […] I mean, Russia has one of the most highly educated populations in the world, and now a growing middle class, with all the aspirations that middle-class […] families have. And so, you know, this [i.e the protests] didn’t come from the outside; it came from within,” she said.