>>
>>What a nasty dictator! Besides, he helps other dictators like Assad and Gaddafi so he must be very very bad guy. I could not believe it at first, but Hannah Montana tweeted about it, so it must be the truth. ~_~
>
>Well you certainly put a lot of words in my mouth about Putin.

It was not me talking - it was Hannah Montana! {g}
And given amount of brainwashing that is going on around - I do not even blame her ;)

>
> His is in fact an autocracy. Putin understands Russia, he understands power and he is a nationalist I don't think he would apologize for any of that. He feels he knows how best to govern Russia and maybe he does. That is Russia's business, not mine. I would certainly never claim to be the authority on Russia's government that virtually anyone outside the borders of US seems to be on ours. <s>

He does what he is gotta do to defend his country interests against uhm... your country and few others.
Faced with such formidable threats, many Russians might feel that 'end justifies means'. So far his results are not bad I would say.

>
>Condi is a Soviet expert, speaks Russian, and is certainly not Cheney or Rumsfeld in her world view. I would trust her understanding of Russia certainly more than Susan Rice's or that of any number of others.
>I think Russia is important and we need serious people who are realists, not ideologues,to be able to deal with them intelligently.
There are new realities of geopolitics and only serious people, not sloganeers, will be able to navigate them

aka new reality... You better believe it. These are turbulent times. We are just few years behind year 1929 and it is already year 2012 {g} That is exactly why Russians voted for 'autocrat' Putin, and why regime in Washington will (easily) re-ellect 'democrat' Obama for another 4 years.

As for Condy, You might get your wish in 2016. But they gotta digg out some deacent looking & sweet talking Republican to run with her. Hard proposition nowadays. {g}