I think Bush misread Putin quite a bit. By all accounts, Bush was actually, honestly, tricked by that big fat cross around Putin's neck, and assumed that it was going to be a partnership on American terms. On the other side of things, there's also the fact that Russia bent over backwards for the US for some time, and saw little in return. So at this point, they probably don't give a shit, and US international politics and policies of recent years has made it more or less impossible for the US to try to tell anyone what they should or should not do, let alone actually intervene in Russia's affairs. As Georgia so perfectly proved. A US government of the Bush brand plays beautifully to current Russian interests. And of course, Russia is quite rich these days, what with having reacquired industries that it tricked western companies into rebuilding, and probably wants to demonstrate that, Soviet Union or no Soviet Union, Russia is still a big, mighty nation that doesn't take shit from its neighbors or anyone.
