Russian (Presidential) Candidate Disappears, Staff Says

[DuctapeFatwa]

A former national security chief planning to challenge President Vladimir Putin has been missing since Thursday, his campaign staff said Saturday. Hours earlier, the Central Elections Commission approved the presidential candidacy of liberal Ivan Rybkin, who has harshly criticized Putin.

Kseniya Ponomaryova, head of Rybkin's campaign group, told The Associated Press that Rybkin had been unreachable since late Thursday, but declined to give details.

The news agency Interfax also quoted Rybkin's wife as saying his relatives had not been able to contact him for two days.

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040207_964.html

[plurality]

1. Nothing spells democracy like KGB.

Or CIA for that matter.

[Faygo Kid]

2. Bush will want to take notes on how this was handled.

No doubt, he will find this an inspiration. Russian democratic reform is in deep trouble, and we know that Bush is more than happy with a totalitarian state over there, as he dreams of for here.

[plurality]

3. Russian democratic reform was an illusion.

They just traded one corrupt dictatorship for another one. The only difference is that this dictatorship is 'capitalist' so you have great things like teachers being paid with vodka as opposed to minimal care being provided to the masses under the 'communist' variety.

[Aidoneus]

4. a nationwide version of how they had Kafirov "elected"

"managed democracy", they call it.. essentially the same things done around here, and elsewhere, just a bit more blunt about it.

[alexwcovington]

5. Russia: Same crushing totalitarianism, now with 90% less socialism!

nt

[Dover]

6. You may have seen the article I posted yesterday about Putin wanting to

increase the number of years a president of Russia can serve...to SEVEN years. It all fits...the increased "Chechen" bombings, the movement to consolidate and increase power, and now this.........

Are the Russian people BLIND???!!!!

Of course, when the alternaive is rulership by the Oligarchs...the choices seem to cancel each other out.

Of course, I imagine people have been scratching their heads about Americans' apparent blindness to the Bush regime as well.

[plurality]

7. it's not like it's any different from what they've had for the last 90 yrs

Meet the new boss, same as the old.

They've dealt with totalitarianism for so long they know to just keep their head down otherwise it'll get cut off. A lesson our regime will be teaching us soon I imagine.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

8. See there Dubya? Now that is balls! I guess he just decided

to "take a vacation" in the basement of the Lubianko, huh? Or, maybe he had a lead deficiency, and they cured him of it.

[Rex]

9. Putin to Dubya

Monkey see, monkey do.