Whither Vladimir Putin’s Soul?

After visiting with Vladimir Putin in 2001, President George W. Bush stated, "I was able to get a sense of his soul, a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country."

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That remark by the new American president startled much of the world, especially conservatives, who, for starters, doubted that Putin was actually blessed with a soul. Most right wing pundits saw "Vladi" as a manifestation of the evil empire, a vanquished, but not entirely broken, commie not to be trusted without verification. Giving a thumbs-up to Putin based on a fawning gaze into his steely blue eyeballs did not pass the "What would Ronald Reagan have done?" test for smoking out those with communist blood still flowing through devilish veins ,vessels, and arteries. As John McCain allegedly said, "I look into Putin's eyes, and I see K, G, B." McCain's sentiment concerning Putin is shared by many thinking Americans; Russia's recent assault on and invasion of Georgia serves to confirm that feeling. An unasked question that must be brought up in this volatile election year should be directed to The Anointed One as follows: "Mr. Obama, what do you see when you look into Vladimir Putin's eyes?" Most probably, Obama would say something typically liberal like, "Looking into Putin's eyes, I see a hunger for change from a leader who is tired of war waged by greedy capitalists and Texas cowboys who are puppets of the oil industry. I see a man who longs for diplomatic relations, and protracted rounds of negotiations, rather than tanks and bomber aircraft, as a means for resolving conflicts. "I see a man who would rather talk than fight!" Of course, the fact that Putin is, and will always be, an unrepentant communist gives him an automatic boost in Obama's eyes, given the fact that The Anointed One is of the same persuasion. Besides, Obama could hardly be expected to find a "soul" when peering into the orifice of a fellow communist!