A Real Czar

Some concern has been raised in the USA regarding Obama's appointment of numerous so-called czars, who are empowered by the President himself without vetting and confirmation by Congress. Obama has more czars than any of his predecessors, but they are largely, to this point, innocuous-Obama's "kitchen cabinet". Russia, on the other hand, has a real Czar in all but name in Vladimir Putin who has maintained the reins of power as Medvedev serves as a figurehead. Putin is up to his old KGB tricks, reminiscent of Czarist intrigues, with political opponents, reporters, and critics gunned down mysteriously at home or poisoned in London by person or persons unknown. They could never be acting as agents of the state, could they? Putin has deceived the last President Bush who looked into his eyes and proved he had no discernment, and Putin has sat across the table from Obama with the steely cold glare of old imperial Russia and scared the hell out of our wet behind the ears President. Obama has capitulated yet again, betraying Poland and the Czech Republic, who took risks offering to host the US missile shield in Europe, by kowtowing to Russian demands and abandoning the program, thereby selling out our "New Europe" allies from the former Eastern Bloc. This leaves all Europe under threat of intimidation and blackmail from nuclear Iran-at whom the program was aimed, rogue states and terrorists, not the bully boy in Moscow. So, Putin steals companies from alleged oligarchs, installs his confederates as oligarchs in their place, squelches dissent, kills opponents, devastates Chechnya, and twists Obama's arm till the boy President whimpers "mercy"-sounds pretty czarist to me.