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I just don't believe you. You lose credibility when you post only on one issue, over and over again. You're here on a mission to destroy Putin's/Russia's reputation. It gets boring over time, and you step way over the line of reality, which also makes you look less credible.

JR Nyquist was a chechen supporter and I suspect you are as well.

I am happy to sit back and see what happens, and when you are proven wrong, I'll be sure to remind you of all these doom and gloom posts of yours.

The facts are that Putin is in a bad place and Russia has lost repeatedly to a single psychopath terrorist with a huge cult following. An *elected* governor, perhaps illegally elected, looked the other way while explosives were planted that killed children and people.

Russia is filled with rampant corruption and Putin doesn't want another election, real or otherwise, to put in place another pro-chechen who will allow Beslan the second to happen. The only way he sees to stop this is to take full responsibility and a lot of control. It is exactly like what I do when I don't trust my teenagers.

Paranoia is not called for when the facts clearly show a frightened man, not a power-hungry one. Putin just realized he doesn't have time, after all, to slowly clean up the corruption left behind by Yeltsin. Because Basayev just announced his intention to do the same or worse as he did at Beslan, and asap.

As for the rest of it, you said it yourself, Russia is not our ally. But they look to be becoming Israel's and very soon. Putin doesn't owe us anything, and as I recall, some Israeli leaders have told us to butt out in the past too. Sharon doesn't seem the least bit threatened by Putin's arm sales or whatever. How can that be?