What are these good reasons to like Putin?
He's basically retarded any chance that any sort of real representative, democratically minded government can take hold in Russia. He is acting, at best, as a strategic adversary towards us throughout much of the world. He seems to believe it was a great tragedy that the USSR collapsed, which doesn't bode well for what he thinks Russia ought to look like in the future - and whether it should attempt to re-assemble it's empire of the unwilling. Putin is investing lots of money to make a larger fraction of his military 1st world quality, which rightly terrifies the USSR's former occupied satellite states such as Poland, Latvia, etc. He uses his veto (along with China) to block us on the UN Security Council at every turn - whether we are dealing with some North Korea provocation or just about anything else.
I'm just not seeing all that many good reasons to like Putin. I think he's smart, we have been able to cooperate with him on more things than many people may think, he seems to be positioning himself as some kind of defender of traditionalist values (though it's hard to tell whether this is anything more than an act), etc.
Overall, Putin is probably going to wind up having been a net negative for the Russian people and the rest of the world.
You can be sure today Putin is studying the US response to the Iran Air shootdown by USS Vincennes.
Well, I guess the reminder that we've done it too is fair game. Actually, to be really fair, Russia is likely once removed from this Malaysian shoot-down and we weren't with the Iranian Airbus. Additionally, the hyperbole of this being a terrorist attack is silly, nobody meant to shoot this down as it severely damages the separatists and Putin's cause. Still, they did it and ultimately the blame does rest with Putin for choosing to fund and arm this bunch of goons as you correctly put it.
Yeah, I do like Putin for lots of reasons — even though I’m POed at him for this Ukraine mess. He stands up to the global homosexual and pop-con agendas. He defends and promotes the Christian Church, including in the middle east, where the US has never — never — lifted a finger to help. and no, that’s not an act.
Yeah, he’s an authoritarian ruler. So what? I reject and resent Wilsonian imperialism that demands that everyone everywhere do it the way we do, or else. He is a nationalist, who wants his country to be strong and influential. Are you gonna hate him because he places Russian interests ahead of American?
I think Putin will figure out that his goons need reining in if Russia is going to be respected and admired. That would reveal him as a real patriot. If just fear is good enough for him, he will come down in my estimation.