I hope Putin's decision are not coming out of a vodka bottle.

[CK_John]

This Gov Ventura wantabe is being as useful as a box of rocks. for what?

He already had the Crimea section and look at all the EU gas customers he could have had.

[DJ13]

1. More likely its a bottle of a testosterone supplement

[pipi_k]

2. Probably not...

IMO, he's just a smug, cold-blooded bastard.

Socio/psycho path, maybe?


I can't even stand to look at him.

[Cleita]

8. Wouldn't that have been a job requirement for the KGB?

I'm almost missing vodka lush Boris Yeltsin.

[pipi_k]

13. Absolutely!

I never really knew what a snake he is.

Which makes me cringe in retrospect, remembering what Dubya said about being able to "see his soul". He has no soul...

[Cleita]

14. Or they are kindred souls in the hell they

came out of. When Bush said that, I knew he was evil.

[awoke_in_2003]

28. A job requirement for any politician. nt

[Scootaloo]

3. Oh for... come on

Do we have to go into lazy stereotype mode? There's plenty to work with here without hte "hurr hurr, Russians drink vodka" stuff. Put some effort into your criticism, man!

[Recursion]

4. Putin doesn't drink. Kind of famously.

He's an obsessive-bordering-on-neurotic athlete (judo is the big one, but several other sports too). He was good enough at judo (my own favorite sport, incidentally) that he almost made the Soviet Olympic team back in the day, but his duties of oppressing dissidents got in the way.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

5. You seem to know and admire quite a bit about the man

[Recursion]

7. I grudgingly admire a lot about him. I could say the same thing about Netanyahu

For that matter I think the two are remarkably comparable.

I do not, however, think his tenure(s) has been good for Russia, central asia, or the world.

[backscatter712]

16. It's important to try to understand him.

Putin is rather formidable. He's evil, and Machiavellian.

That is why we should not underestimate him by speculating that he's an idiot that drinks vodka all day. Underestimate him, and we'll get punk'd.

[Recursion]

18. Thank you. I was particularly annoyed by the "vodka" bit...

... because that's very much the opposite of the truth.

[RKP5637]

27. Agree! Putin is no idiot and he's dangerous. None should underestimate what he could

be capable of. And, none should trivialize what his military is capable of. And, his KGB background. Just watching his body language is very revealing.

[okaawhatever]

10. Aha, what motivates him, "I coulda been a contender" nt

[Recursion]

12. Could be.

There's a cheesy line from one of the lamentable Matrix sequels, "You cannot know someone until you fight them". I've done fencing, boxing, and judo for most of my adult life and I have to say there's something to that. I'd like to spar with the guy; it might get me more insight.

[okaawhatever]

25. It would definitely offer insight into his strategic thinking. What does he do when faced with

seeming defeat? Go all in, stall hoping for a better opportunity, go the cheap shot route.....
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that he's a control freak and had all this planned out. I think that is why Yanukovych stalled for so long during the Maiden protests. Well that, and their attempts to create false flag incidents to warrant a police/military intervention.

[1000words]

6. Classy

[Pretzel_Warrior]

9. Similar words were said about Bush and DU laughed

Including me (Pretzel Warrior etymology is reference to his choking on pretzels; I.e. passing out drunk).

Why is it suddenly offensive to use the same comments against another war-mongering psychopath?

[Cleita]

15. It's not with many of us. n/t

[Recursion]

19. Bush is actually an alcoholic. Putin is a teetotaler

There's also the kind of irritating stereotype of Russians being constantly drunk on vodka....

[Democracyinkind]

26. Probably because Bush was a notorious drunk while Putin is abstinent.

This is just dealing in stale clichees, Russia, drunk, Vodka. It's moronic at best.

[Hekate]

11. Don't ever underestimate the SOB. He has the long view. nt

[Rex]

17. Ugh...no need to stereotype. Common sense and knowledge of Russia (even a tiny amount)

Would make you ask why would a former KGB chief need booze to make decisions? Silly nonsense. He probably is surrounded by a cabinet of 'experts' that gives him all kinds of advice. He is a dictator with millions of minions.

Cheap shot at Russia imo.

[1000words]

22. Stereotypes are fun!

How much of Ireland's decision-making comes from a whiskey bottle, I wonder.

And no wonder Jamaica can't seem to get it together ... they're smoking weed all the time!

[Rex]

23. Didn't we JUST have a knockout-drag out fight over chicken and watermelon?

Of course all Russians are assigned a bear to ride, 12 potatoes, 2 rolls of toilet paper and 3 bottles of vodka.

[1000words]

24. Cool ... they get a bear?

Perhaps I need to rethink that whole pony thing ...

[backscatter712]

20. Putin is not an idiot. "Evil genius" is how I'd describe him.

Don't underestimate him. He's a heaping helping of Machiavellian bastard.

[Recursion]

21. W underestimated him and Georgia paid the price

He's not a dumb guy.

[30cal]

29. He's a leader who will do anything for what is best for Russia

He doesn't care about polls or being politically correct.

[TheKentuckian]

30. Why would you think any such thing?