Did you even know in your haste to paint a picture of Putin as a tyrannist that his suggestion to have the outlying governors appointed rather than voted for was because of the corruption that led to the children being killed at Beslan?
Did you even know that he got the idea from his good friend Berlusconi, who was at his home visiting while they were watching our election returns and rooting for Bush?
Did you know that for many years Italy has had appointment of all regional governors? Does that make Berlusconi a tyrant too?
Did you know that the appointments can be vetoed at the local levels by councils there? That's more democratic than the way Italy does it. Why is it always Putin who is the bad guy? You people buy into the same liberal crap they dispense about him in Russia that the liberals dispense here about Bush.
The things you mention do not seem key to the analysis of Putin here. Have you read Pacepa, Suvorov? Putin was a carreer KGB officer. Since he's been in office he has been helping Iran develop nuclear weapons and ever-improving missles. These are more important than the things you mention.
In addition, the idea that Russia is more democratic than Italy is absurd on the face of it.