Vladimir Putin: Tsar or prisoner?

[dArKeR]

Russian President Vladimir Putin has managed to get rid of the Communists, but what Russia needs is political parties that stand for something other than their boss' will

By Nina Khrushcheva

Friday, Mar 12, 2004,Page 9

Two practical questions can be asked of any political system: First, what distinguishes the political parties? Second, who is in charge?

For a while in postcommunist Russia, the answers were blindingly clear: Parties were divided between those nostalgic for Soviet times and those who wanted reform. Who was in charge? The president.

After 12 years of transition, the answer to the first question has blurred. With the Communist Party in terminal decline, ideologies are vanishing. Indeed, anybody hoping for an obvious clash of left and right during the recent presidential election campaign was bound to be disappointed, because the answer to the second question is even more emphatic today: President Vladimir Putin's re-election was never in doubt. This president is very much in charge.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/edit/archives/2004/03/12/2003102160

I am sure aWol has set into motion the deterioration/destruction of life/democracy/morality on Earth. Just putting him in jail and electing Kerry doesn't mean Kerry will be able correct/contain the evil aWol has unleashed from Hell. Texas.

[bemildred]

1. Mr. Putin is a Russian nationalist.

Everything becomes clear once you figure that out.