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WASHINGTON -- When it comes to expressing knowledge of and admiration for Russia, few in the U.S. Congress outdo Curt Weldon, the Pennsylvania Republican. But at a talkfest here celebrating American-Russian relations, surfer dude Dana Rohrabacher, Republican congressman from California, did his best.
The World Russian Forum has for years been organized by Eduard Lozansky, a Soviet-era dissident and emigre who now lobbies Washington for better relations with Russia. In past, it has been a woozily organized affair.
But these days, Lozanksy is the new U.S. publisher of the Russia Journal (yes, the same Russia Journal that competes with The Moscow Times) and he says that has breathed new life into his work.
"Our 19 previous forums were kind of scattered. You know, we're a bunch of dissidents," Lozansky said. "But this year we were fortunate. The Russia Journal really took [the conference organization] into their hands. They are business people. And the combination of dissidents and business people produces great results."
Perhaps the greatest result was the venue -- a U.S. Senate office building -- and the line of congressmen dragooned in to make brief warm speeches about U.S.-Russian relations. Among notables were Republican Senator Richard Lugar and Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert.
Ajay Goyal, the Russia Journal publisher, said the room and some of the powerhouse speakers were delivered by the Free Congress Foundation, a far-right group co-sponsoring the event and headed by Paul Weyrich. Weyrich missed the conference, but a stand-in told attendees Russia and America needed to ally because there is a dark Muslim menace on the way from the south, by way of immigration if not actual Sept. 11-style assault.
Lozansky took the podium later in the day to note that Weyrich & Co. are, cough, pretty conservative. Then again, groups like Free Congress have clout even among moderate Republicans: They mobilize a small yet loyal band of voters.
It's the sort of event the 54-year-old Weldon ought to dominate. He speaks passable Russian, was a Russian studies major in college and is an old friend of Lozansky's. He is the founder of the Duma-Congress Study Group, which organizes visits between the two parliaments.
And Weldon had a lot to talk about: He recently put together a document that outlines all sorts of ways to bring us closer -- from getting more Russian-language instruction in American high schools to exploring for oil together in Timan Pechora. (You can find it at www.fita.org/prbc/index.html).
Enter Rohrbacher, a former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan and the only 54-year-old congressman whose home page features a photo of him in a wetsuit, surfing. He may not have invested the years or done the homework of a Curt Weldon, but he sure can enthuse.
"I wanna tell ya, Russia is terrific," Rohrbacher told the conference. "We [Russia and America] are going to be best friends. We're not best friends with Europe. I'm sorry fellas. That's history."
"They're out for themselves [in Europe.] They do not have the ideals we Americans hold dear. They are manipulative."
So, we should shut down NATO and replace it with a Space-Alliance Treaty Organization, for cooperation in space exploration. (SATO?) To help Russia's economy, the West should write off Soviet-era debts, as the risk of doing business with an Evil Empire. For Rohrbacher, it's an added plus that the debt is mostly held by manipulative Europeans: "The German bankers to whom this debt is owed, well, you know what they can do with their debt."
And when we take out Saddam Hussein, Rohrbacher said, we should make it worth Russia's while -- after all, they've got Iraqi business interests to watch over and old Soviet loans to collect on.
Matt Bivens, a former editor of The Moscow Times, is a Washington-based fellow of The Nation Institute [www.thenation.com].
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