Let the laughing at Putin ensue:

Belgium ???????? President Bush scolded Russia for backsliding on democracy Monday and dined on lobster risotto and filet of beef with French President Jacques Chirac (search ).

Three days before seeing Vladimir Putin (search) in Slovakia, Bush admonished the Russian leader to “renew a commitment to democracy and the rule of law.” Putin has raised alarms in the West by consolidating power, rolling back democratic reforms and curbing press and political freedoms.

Bush said the United States and all European countries “should place democratic reform at the heart of their dialogue with Russia.” The president suggested that Moscow’s entry in the World Trade Organization (search) could hinge on whether it changes course.

“I’ve got a good relationship with Vladimir; I intend to keep it that way,” Bush told reporters during a photo opportunity with Chirac. “But as well, I intend to remind him that if his interests lie West, that we share values … and those values are important.”

That sounds like a vaguely shielded threat to me. Will Russia back down and follow suit? Probably not without more coercion. My guess is that this is statement was letting Putin know ahead of time what the game plan is to give him time to prepare. No government likes to be made a spectacle of in public; Russia, in particular, could use public embarrassment to its advantage for shoring up nationalism around the current regime. The U.S. will most likely keep all major threats private and politically correct as possible to the public, while dealing… convincingly in private.