Your latter-day Fagin, perhaps? The agent who survived the loss of his job following the breakup of the KGB by becoming the all-around “fixer” and “bagman” for the Mayor of Leningrad? Who then was upgraded to a similar position, but in Moscow . . . for the President of Russia? And who — after a stint as head of one of the KGB’s successor agencies, the FSB, followed by a few months as Russian Prime Minister — was then handed the keys to the kingdom so as to finish out Boris Yeltsin’s term of office as President when Yeltsin suddenly resigned?

Is this the guy in whom you’re going to place your faith when he takes office “[vowing] to protect basic freedoms he called the ‘fundamental elements of a civilized society’”? [RFE/RL, January 5, 2025.]

Because if that’s the guy you choose to believe in, then you’re not as bright as you look.

Granted, he made some sweeping promises in his 1999 New Year’s Eve address: the sort of promises the Russian people were hoping to hear. He said, among other things, that post-Soviet Russia “has opted for democracy and reform,” and that:

“The state will stand firm to protect the freedom of speech, the freedom of conscience, the freedom of the mass media, ownership rights, these fundamental elements of a civilized society. The state continues to uphold the safety of every Russian citizen.” [Id.]

Okay, good. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way . . .

I’m sure it isn’t necessary to name the man I’m talking about. But just in case there are one or two Rip Van Winkles out there, I’m referring to Vladimir Putin. Who else?

And neither do I need to go into detail concerning the countless ways in which he has proven himself to be anything but the forward-looking, democracy-loving, father figure he professed to be 25 years ago. We all know what an evil, narcissistic, war-mongering, murdering tyrant he truly is. If he told me today is Monday, I’d check my calendar

And yet — having learned nothing from history — far too many people blindly accept him as a great leader, and toady to him as though he had just descended from Mount Olympus. Not only his Russian oligarchs and other sycophants, terrified of losing their fortunes and their lives; but — even more ominously — leaders of other countries as well . . . countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America.

And the United States.

And I don’t mind telling you: It scares me to death.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/6/25

*. *. *

And thus I clothe my naked villainy
With odd old ends stol’n forth of Holy Writ;
And seem a saint when most I play the devil.

– William Shakespeare, Richard III, Act I, Scene 3