TIME magazine has just named Vladimir Putin, TIME’s Person of the Year. Attaboy, Vladdy! According to TIME editor, Richard Stengel, “[Putin] doesn’t care about civil liberties, he doesn’t care about free speech. He has no charm. He is just pure force and pure force of will.” (I can only imagine what he says about the runners-up.) But I suppose a Russian leader without “charm” is indeed quite an anomaly––like an unicorn or a pro-life Democrat. They have all been so Noel Cowardish. Dashing men like Stalin, Kruschev, and Yeltsin. Yup, Putin is one in a million. If only we Americans had a leader with a proclivity for limiting civil liberties; a guy who lacked charm and sophisication! Then maybe our guy could be TIME’s Person of the Year. Dubya, brother, you were so robbed.
