It's really a sad thing. A free Russia could be the best ally America could ever have.
In the effort to bash Putin, the author overlooked the larger picture that reveals that Russia is dying.
The sickness of democracy is merely an indication of the mortal disease of the whole society.
Russia is still the enemy. The supporters of limited war and nation building in Iraq should learn from the failure of democracy in Russia that it takes more than platitudes to turn a nation around. Keep in mind that the Middle East, which has been dominated by Islam for 1,400 years, lacks even the humane impulses and concern for the individual of Christianity, the historic faith of Russia.