Putin knows us better than we know ourselves. He is not an enemy of the West , but a counterpoint to our own stupidity. To read his speeches reveals a very intelligent person and diplomat . Boris Yeltsin chose Putin as his successor as he saw him as the only honest person in the room. Over the last thirty years he has led his country back from the brink. Putin is one of the world's few statesmen, extinct in the West.

Oh , excuse me , I am not allowed to say any of this. I am being objective again, a bad habit of mine.