[Savage Beast]

Russia's biggest problems are political disorganization, crime, the economy, a decreasing population, Chechnya, and China. That's staggering.

The U.S. could help--and could use an ally rich in human, strategic, and natural resources like Russia.

The immigration into the U.S. of millions of young, energetic, Western, non-Muslim, Latin Americans, especially Mexicans, could prove advantageous as they are assimilated into the U.S. population.

North and South Americans could provide Europe and Russia a young work force alternative to Muslims.

President Bush should give top priority to strengthening the Western Alliance, bringing Russia into NATO, and bringing NATO into NAFTA.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

Both were fatally wounded by their closeness to the oligarchs, on whom they depend for funding.

What's next? Is the WSJ going to draw a bead between popular voting patterns and patterns of financial support? If you just got plutocrats backing you, you can't expect to win in a democratic election.

[dfwgator]

I think this is good news for Russia-US relations. The old guard hardliners in the Duma kept Putin from moving Russia more towards the West, with them out of the picture, Putin can move forward.

[Centurion2000]

Go Putin