Putin’s Time award ‘disgusting’

One man who found it hard to take the news that Time magazine has elected Vladimir Putin its 'Person of the Year' for 2007 is the Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts. Romney, who is for the first time tying the lead among Republican candidates with Rudy Giuliani in national polls, was asked by a reporter for his reaction to the news just out that Time had made its annual pick.

"Oh, you are kidding," responded Romney. "That's disgusting. I'm absolutely - I mean, are you - I mean, I haven't seen Time. Are you serious?"

Assured that Vlad had indeed won the accolade, Romney went on: "Well, you know, he imprisoned his political opponents. There have been a number of highly suspicious murders. He has squelched public dissent and free press. And to suggest that someone like that is the man of the year is really disgusting. I'm just appalled."

Told that the magazine had chosen him for "bringing stability and renewed status to his country" Romney eguffawed: "Isn't that something? So I guess Raul Castro will get it next. A good dictator that imprisons or murders political and media opponents and therefore brings stability, I mean, there's nothing like the stability that martial law provides or dictatorship provides. I find it a truly appalling designation."

So, who would have been Romney's choice? "Clearly General Petraeus [in charge of US forces in Iraq] is the person or one of a few people who would certainly merit that designation."

Explaining the magazine's choice, managing editor Richard Stengler admitted that Putin was "not a boy scout. He is not a democrat in any way that the West would define it". Nevertheless, he had "performed an extraordinary feat of leadership in imposing stability on a nation that has rarely known it and brought Russia back to the table of world power."