Putin looks out for his own interests and the interests of his friends. He is not and never will be a benevolent leader of his people. He is a ruthless and calculating man who will work to improve the economy of his nation because it will enrich him and his friends.
You don’t make it far in the KGB without understanding power and the need to constantly gain the advantage in every way. There are very few Americans that would understand this, but it is truth. Putin likes Obama because he is weakening his main adversary, but he will never respect him. Given Obama’s past associations I would speculate that Putin probably knows far more about the real Obama than we do.
Say what you want about Bush, but the Russians respected him because he was resolute in the face of adversity. You don’t have to be a KGB ironman to gain their respect, they just have to understand that you mean what you say and will follow through no matter what.
Obama is weak and his support of the Arab Spring has created dangers that Putin understands. Obama weakened U.S. interests in the region and I wish that Obama understood radical Islam like Putin does. Putin will never like or respect a community organizer. Putin is taking the new chessboard of the Middle East and positioning himself and his friends to profit from it. Never forget, Russia makes money when oil prices are high and they profit selling arms and ammunition to the Arab regimes that oppose Israel. This is a game the Russians have been playing for years.
Putin is all about Putin. I am certain he views Obama as a chump.
“....I would speculate that Putin probably knows far more about the real Obama than we do.”
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I would speculate that you are wrong on that point.
The sad part is that there are plenty of people in high places in the MSM and in government, PUBs and RATs alike, who know everything there is to know about Obama but are not willing to take action because his presidency benefits them personally today and in the future.
Long before 0 made a run for the presidency, our national security agencies had fully identified him and identified everyone in American politics. If they didn’t, they would not have been doing their job.