Putin and the bad advice

That there is at present something seriously wrong with the Kremlin's propaganda machine is demonstrated in no uncertain terms by prime minister Putin's latest outburst suggesting that the United States helped Georgia for domestic political reasons - as White House Press Secretary Dana Perino pointed out.

"To suggest that the United States orchestrated this on behalf of a political candidate - it sounds not rational," she said.

"Those claims first and foremost are patently false, but it also sounds like his defence officials who said they believed this to be true are giving him really bad advice."

Moscow and its siloviki had better get their act together - or they risk finally losing the information war in the same way as they have already lost the diplomatic war. There's a limit to how far a disinformation campaign can rely on word of mouth, gullible journalists and pass the parcel to distribute its messages - if their content is simply too outlandish, the messages become at best self-defeating satire and fantasy, and at worst, dissolve into mere gibberish.