More Putin propaganda. Similar to the bs of the North Korean leader, just not as extreme.

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Originally posted by H&K-Guy:

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Originally posted by YooperSigs:
I recall another Russian who once said:
"We will bury you".
Putin is ex-KGB. That alone should tell you volumes about him.

Puten is not, nor will he ever be, Khrushchev. Not even a close second. Khrushchev was deliciously unpredictable, dangerous, mercurial, and a good way to get yourself killed if you found yourself on the wrong side of his ideals. Putin is a kinder, gentler kind of Sociopath. If he finds need, you will be framed by decree, your assets seized, and imprisoned without trial. I've seen it happen under Putin many times. Or, you may just simply disappear.

I like how Winston Churchill described Russia. It still applies today:

"I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest." -Winston Churchill, Radio Broadcast, 1939.

Russia WILL proceed to, and quite selfishly so, look toward it's own interests. It's written into their DNA.

H&K-Guy

This. If you are not Russia or Russian, you are an outright enemy, a potential enemy, or a temporary ally to help Russia deal with the first two, after which you become one of the first two. You are never Russia's friend, because you are not Russian....

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This. If you are not Russia or Russian, you are an outright enemy, a potential enemy, or a temporary ally to help Russia deal with the first two, after which you become one of the first two. You are never Russia's friend, because you are not Russian....

Exactly, very well put. People would do well to remember Joe Stalin. Khrushchev learned from him.

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Originally posted by H&K-Guy:
He's a bureaucratic, dictatorial, totalitarian oligarch. He's a bully, and a bad one. I wish I could take you to Moscow and show you what he has done to the city, with regard to religious sanctions in the name of squashing 'extremists', or those not of the Russian Orthodox Church. It's truly despicable.

H&K-Guy

Not to mention that he is the master mind of the largest criminal enterprise on earth.

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My comments come from who he is as a person.

Oh, I wouldn't argue that he's evil. Wouldn't be surprised if he was a genuine sociopath.

...BUT...

...all the OTHER things are true as well.

He IS a warrior, most importantly in his own mind.

That makes him dangerous as an individual and as a political leader.

We ignore or dismiss those qualities at our peril.

Not since George Bush I have we had a President who has walked the walk. Bush II came close but Putin has been there, done that and has the T-shirt.

Even if you ignore the "propaganda" the simple fact is you don't rise to the top of Russian politics and stay there without being incredibly devious and dangerous. He isn't a figurehead, he holds power in his own name.

He might be the most dangerous individual leader they've had since Stalin.

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He's a bureaucratic, dictatorial, totalitarian oligarch

Without question.

I'm not saying I like the guy. I'm saying I respect him.

I would have respected Al Capone, too... foolish to do otherwise.