You knew it was coming. Putin decides he will take power back.

[Serb]

Can we finally say that Brazil is more developed than Russia?

Sure thing. Brazil is the only country on Earth who has manned spacecrafts to supply the "International" (which on 3/4 is a Brazilian technology) Space Station. With the World's 6th largest economy and World's third foreign exchange reserves it's not even a question that Brazil is more developed than a third world country like Russia.

[onodera]

Let's face it, you don't know a sh!t about Russia. Putin is the most popular politic in Russia. He has the support of absolute majority of population. That's objective REALITY.

Yes, that's the sad truth.

[Serb]

Sad or not it's still truth. And when the most popular candidate wins the election that's called democracy, not dictatorship. Dictatorship it's when one country thinks it can decide who should run the office in other country and who should not. That's what I call a dictatorship. So, Oedrin, buddy, and the rest of your fellow westerners, go f*ck yourselves or something. Hands off from Russia. It's OUR country and WE and only WE will decide who be our president. And you guys can bark for all you care that won't change a thing. In fact the more your "free" western media will bark on Putin, the more supporters he'll get here. And before you'll start calling me a Putin boy - I have never, NEVER, voted for Putin or Medvedev. But I guess I will now.

[Jon Miller]

Just because you disagree with people doesn't mean you have to vote for Putin.

JM

[Serb]

I'll vote for him not because I disagree with people who even have no right to discuss who should be our president and who should not (Am I telling you who should be the next US president or next Canadian PM?), but because of my own reasons.

[Jon Miller]

That is OK, but not what you implied in your post.

JM

[Serb]

If you need a hint about Putin's popularity in Russia, here is one:

[Jon Miller]

How about employment rate?

JM

[Serb]

Unemployment in Russia was at 6% in 2007, down from about 12.4% in 1999. The middle class has grown from just 8 million persons in 2000 to 55 million persons in 2006.

[OneFootInTheGrave]

if Bush delivered such results even Democrats would vote for his third term

[Az]

The least of possible evils. In Russia, you have to choose between corrupting thieves and corrupt thugs.

[Serb]

In Russia you have to chose between a force that saved the country, stabilized its rapid decline in every aspect and showed little but growth and... who? WHO? Corrupt thieves who already were in charge and pillaged and rapped my country for nearly a decade? Western puppets like Nemtsov or Kasianov? Thank you very much. They have a ZERO support, not because of legislations, mass-media coverage or something else, but because people know WHO THE F*CK THEY ARE and what they have done with the country when they were in charge.

edited: Oh, and modern Russian commies are a joke. So, there is no real force now which can compete with Putin and offer something better to the society.

[giblets]

if Bush delivered such results even Democrats would vote for his third term

It's too bad Clinton couldn't run for a third term.

[Dr Strangelove]

And let's also remember our gallant Italian allies, who had one party rule for how long? Our gallant Japanese allies, who had one party rule for how long? Our gallant Mexican allies, who had one party rule for how long? Our gallant Korean allies, who had one man rule for how long? Our gallant Taiwanese allies, who wouldn't allow the native population into politics for how long? Oh, and our gallant Taiwanese allies even conducted assassinations of dissidents on our own soil.

[giblets]

Or the gallant US, who had one man rule for ~13 years under FDR and was still a democracy, somehow. Oh that's right, he was popular.