Georgia: Vladimir Putin leads from front to send US a bullish message

Source: Times

August 11, 2008

Georgia: Vladimir Putin leads from front to send US a bullish message

Mark Franchetti in Moscow

The fighting in Georgia has answered the question that world leaders have been asking since Vladimir Putin stepped down as President this year: who runs Russia?

The answer, of course, is Mr Putin. It came not from Moscow, but from Beijing – 4,500 miles away – where the Russian Prime Minister was watching the Olympics when Georgia mounted its assault on South Ossetia.

Attending the opening ceremony of the Games, Mr Putin strongly condemned the military attack and vowed retaliation. Only several hours later did President Medvedev, Mr Putin’s handpicked successor, take to the airwaves.

Mr Medvedev, Russia’s youngest leader since Tsar Nicholas II, has since held many meetings and issued numerous strong statements. As commander in chief, the decision to send Russian troops into South Ossetia – in the country’s first foreign invasion since Afghanistan – was at least formally Mr Medvedev’s. But, compared with his mentor, Mr Medvedev, an intelligent and mild-mannered lawyer, seemed decidedly lame. Russia’s toughest statements over the Georgian crisis have come from Mr Putin, who during his eight years in power thrived on his hard-man image.


Read more: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4499726.ece

At least it appears that Mr. Putin is not a personal physical coward, like Mr. Bush and his neocon handlers.

"I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straight forward and trustworthy and we had a very good dialogue.

I was able to get a sense of his soul."

The workers need no leaders.

Or if this is just to say... you're getting too close, back off the former satellites cause they're still "Russia's" sphere of influence.

Putin leads the Russian republic