"Ah, I was wondering when one of you were going to get around to bringing that up. Sounds like a typical Soviet election to me...rigged. What do the Communists call it when you present the people with false alternatives to ensure the "right" guy wins?...Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis."
And you would know that from all of your interaction with Russians and from all that time you spend over there to assess the situation? You're wrong, wrong, wrong. Putin is extremely popular with most people, but hated by Communists, neonazis, anti-Semites, nationalists, and you. You're in "good" company.
Can I assume by your silence on Golitsyn that you have never read his works???