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At Large
Russian Musical Chairs
Vladimir Putin must be given a great deal of credit for his dedication to the rule of law. He has gone to considerable trouble to have his legal fixer, Dmitry Medvedev, come up with the brilliant idea of amending the Russian constitution so the presidency could be extended from four to six years. Harvard Law School, eat your heart out! The amendment concept was introduced during President Medvedev's first state-of-the-nation speech last week.
This amendment device would allow Dmitry to resign as president next year so Vlad could leave his post as prime minister and return to being president for the next twelve years. Naturally, law-abiding Vladimir would never think of breaking the rule that no one can hold that chief executive job for more than two terms. It isn't as if Vlad hasn't retained all the key operational powers of chief executive while sojourning as prime minister. But he is not one to take chances.
The switch back to president for an extended term does take a bit of finagling. First, a two-thirds majority is needed in the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament. No problem there; Vlad has that body wrapped around his political finger. Then another two-thirds approval is required from the members of the regional legislatures. These, too, do not appear to be an obstacle for Vlad and Dima. At that point Dmitry could resign and a presidential election could be held. There's little doubt as to whom would win.
Young Dmitry, conscious of his diminutive stature, gave his speech standing on an extra high platform. He used his most aggressive tone while in effect greeting the election of the new American president, though never mentioning that fact or Barack Obama by name. Dima declared -- as Vlad has done several times before -- that the deployment of U.S. anti-missile missiles in Poland would trigger a severe Russian response.
The Russians, Dima threatened, would move their own offensive missiles to Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave on the Polish/Lithuanian border. Some Kremlin-connected commentators suggested that the Russian military command at the same time would set up jamming stations to counter the radar missile tracking installations planned for the Czech Republic.
There was no mistaking the Russian attempt to rain on the new American president-elect's parade. Vlad lent his support by being televised sitting in the front row of the audience with his most theatrically serious expression nailed to his face. He played the professor listening intently to his student's lesson recitation. The rest of his cabinet dutifully followed his example.
It's obvious that Vlad and Dima, the current principal act at the Moscow Art Theater, never studied Chekhov or other great Russian playwrights, and certainly not Stanislavsky's method of acting. The entire performance lacked the sense of reality so necessary in convincing an audience -- especially an international one. In fact, a critic might say the entire presentation was, after all, quite artificial.
Everyone knows by now that Vlad wants so much to be the reincarnation of Lenin that he -- as they say on Broadway -- can taste it. It's just that he also wants to be regarded as something other than a communist. The role of being a democrat, however, is not really within him, as Stanislavsky might say. So this whole Lenin business in the 21st century is a bit beyond Vlad's reach.
Furthermore, Lenin never would have wasted time and space flitting back and forth from president to prime minister and back again. Good old Lenin, who really was quite an actor, himself, would have just stayed on as top dog both in name and practice for as long as his Chekists were able to keep him there. Come to think of it, Vlad may be a bit more suitable for the role than it would appear at first glance.
Of course we're not supposed to mention the bad old days anymore. Everyone is supposed to pretend that is all over and done with -- maybe didn't even really happen. We aren't supposed to discuss how a Russian security service defector could end up with polonium poisoning in London -- or how crusading Russian journalists are murdered by people who are never found.
No, we are supposed to sit about while Vlad and Dima play musical chairs on the world stage. Meanwhile the duo blames the Americans for the Russian invasion of Georgia and the crash of the Moscow stock market because Russian oligarchs and banks were caught with a massive loss in value of their loan collateral. ("Moskva Meltdown," 10/24/08.) Lest we forget, there is also the small matter of the fall of oil prices that Moscow's leadership would like to explain away as also American-instigated.
The two main themes of Medvedev's speech, the extension of the term of the Russian presidency and repetitions of warnings against American missile placement in Eastern Europe. have the feel of a classic Russian drama, but in a very disjointed manner. Main characters switch roles and then switch back, tragic events are blamed on forces beyond the lead characters' control, nefarious foreigners arrange disaster behind the scenes, and then the great Russian hero enters stage left -- or perhaps stage right!
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raam234| 11.10.08 @ 7:40AM
Is there a big difference if Putin is PM or President? Only difference is the title. As for extending term limits, Putin must have got his cue from NYC....
M. Tobias| 11.10.08 @ 9:44PM
So what is your point, Mr. Whitman.Are you trying to tell us that the man whom everyone expected to be the next dictator of the Russian Federation, the former head of the KGB, Vladimir Putin is still going to be the next dictator of Russia? That he is going to continue his proposed reclamation of the old Soviet territories? And that he is going to continue to blame all of Russia's problems on the U.S.? But he is going to pull a Mayor Bloomberg and unilaterally change the Russian Constitution to justify his ascension? Thanks for the info.
matt| 11.11.08 @ 3:42AM
vlad and dima ain't so clever. they probably got the idea from that bloomberg guy.
Siafu| 11.11.08 @ 12:44PM
You are such a humorist George!!! Thanks! I love these parts - "never studied Chekhov" and "blames the Americans for the Russian invasion of Georgia" :)))))))) Beavis do Russian politics analysis LOL
Kseniya| 11.11.08 @ 1:00PM
Yeap, Georgie, you just have to sit back and watch whatever Medvedev and Putin do in Russia. Know why? Because it's not yours but our Russian business. Just deal with a fact that Russia won't do what people like you in the West want us to do.
P.S. So the author assume that Putin (a lawyer with a degree) and Medvedev (an University professor) didn't read Chehov? That's not even funny, lol!
Baur| 11.11.08 @ 1:10PM
With all respect Mr. George Wittman, who are you to call President and Prime minister of Russian Federation Dmitriy and Vlad?
Yelena| 11.11.08 @ 1:26PM
Please mind you're own business Mr.Wittman and leave us to mind ours.
p.s. Agree with Baur, show some more respect GEORGE!
Baur| 11.11.08 @ 1:31PM
By the way, in Russian, Vlad means Vladislav, not Vladimir
Marina| 11.11.08 @ 1:43PM
First of all, GEORGE, they maybe Dima and Vlad for their wifes, but for you (if u do not consider urself their b#tch) they r VLADIMIR VLADIMIROVICH PUTIN and DMITRIY ANATOL'EVICH MEDVEDEV!
Second, lets teach US Stanislavsky method, I want scream " don't belive" when I hear of friendly missiles 11 min flying time from Moscow, democracy in Iraq, Afganistan, Kosovo, Georgia, Ukrain etc.
And the Third, DO NOT TELL US WHAT TO DO AND WE WILL NOT TELL YOU WHERE TO GO (to the long erotic trip)
Marina| 11.11.08 @ 1:47PM
The film “War 08.08.08. The Art of Betrayal”
is made up of 40 hours of the video-footage, brought from the South Ossetia by the camera crew, found on the YouTube Web site and other video- portals, sent by the Internet users, or taken from the video recordings of the cell-phones of the dead Georgian soldiers.
For the first time in the history the war has been recorded by the video-cameras of the cell-phones. These recording give the audience the chance to see the attack upon the South Ossetia in the way, the aggressors (who were destroying the houses of the Ossetian people with the cries of joy) saw it.
The uniqueness of these recordings is obvious: the journalists just are not able to film the very thick of the war, the faces of the murderers at the moment when the crime is being committed, the most straightforward and scary video of genocide. All this was recorded by the Georgian military men themselves.
The mission of this film was to show the truth about this war to the huge amount of viewers, to the millions of people in the whole world. It is the film about those people, who set off this massacre, about the fact who backs Mihail Saakashvili, and who received political dividends from the genocide of the Ossetian people and from the western informational chasing aimed at Russia.
http://war080808.com/
Victor| 11.11.08 @ 9:39PM
This is boring. How long will Western people, who call themselves journalist, continue repeating the same set of banalities about Russia? By the way,
- the American government is responsible for the conflict in Georgia;
- it would be nice if you discussed how polonium got into Letvinenko. But I mean discuss, not make unsubstantiated statements;
- as a Russian, I am thankful that you, an American, care about Russian journalist. I just wonder why you do not care about clarifying the identity of people, who ....here a long list could follow but lets say ...who organized 9/11?
- the financial crisis in Russia is not really a crisis, at least not yet. The fall of the stock market does have its origin in the US but it affects neither ordinary people, because they do not own stocks, nor companies, because they do not get any financial resources from the stock market. The real problem in the economy is that the Russian banking system is undeveloped and relies on dollar too much. I will enjoy siting on a front sit, watching Vladimir Vladimirovich and Dmitrij Anatoljevich change that.
Helen| 11.11.08 @ 11:16PM
I'm not sure that my comment will appear here but notice that George H. Wittman doesn't know so simple things like how to call our President and Prime Minister in a proper manner.Things of this kind,familiarity is quite out of place.It only can show the law level of autho pseudointellectual arrogate to himself the right to estimate us,as if he really knows our literature culture and mentality.It is impudence and it's not only my opinion-thir article was translated into Russian &published;in Russia like many others.
Also I am obliged to remind you that we are going to prelocate missles on our territory not in Poland isn'n it? And only like an answer.We don' wan't you weapons under our nose,you know.Concerning the subject of article-Yeap, Georgie, you just have to sit back and watch whatever Medvedev and Putin do in Russia. Know why? Because it's none of your business . Just deal with a fact that Russia won't do what people like you in the West want us to do. NEVER.
AL| 11.11.08 @ 11:38PM
Not bad for you Joe. Not every aMERICAN motherfucker knows such names as Chekhov and Stanislavsky. You must be proud.
AL| 11.12.08 @ 12:00AM
I know, Joe is short name for Joseph. It doesn't matter, same shit. What do you prefer? Dod? Judd? Or maybe Yuri? This is George in Russian. Quite possible you wanna change your name to Georgian?
Helen| 11.12.08 @ 1:19AM
P.S. According to our educational standard,we study writers you mentioned in secondary school.
When we are 14-15 years old.
Siberian| 11.12.08 @ 2:17AM
Sincerely laughed a little reading article =) see author considers itself expert on Russia... but... shall simply cite an instance: Vlad and Vladimir this 2 ABSOLUTELY miscellaneous of the name. Same as Jack and John, or Barack and Barat. Yes and such rubbish is written aside from this...
Dear George H. Wittman, You simply dunce!!!
George| 11.12.08 @ 2:20AM
Great article. Author is to0 polite to call this two "modern" russian BARBARIANS by their names. University professors my a$$..... People by accident got where they are.....
Tungus| 11.12.08 @ 2:30AM
What a beautiful examlpe of american's journalism! But there are some mistakes. At firts, Goe (nice name!), you forgot about FSB (former KGB). At second, polonium is cool, but how about Litvinenko? At third, you said, that Putin want to be the reincarnation of Lenin. It is WRONG. He
wants to be the reincarnation of STALIN only! And at last, every Russian Presidet does not know
to read! It's the only condition to be elected to this post (by the way J Bush answered this requirement conpletely!)
Chekhov and Stanislavsky| 11.12.08 @ 3:32AM
Beavis and Butt-head still Did America…
It’s valid.
Влад и Дима| 11.12.08 @ 4:35AM
Фак ю
Nonromantic| 11.12.08 @ 5:23AM
" we are supposed to sit about while Vlad and Dima play musical chairs on the world stage."
Exactly! You are! God forbid you to intervene at Russian internal affairs: we neither Ukraine, nor Georgia.
Роман| 11.12.08 @ 5:53AM
Почему мне кажется что эту статью прочло больше русских чем американцев?
Mary| 11.12.08 @ 6:43AM
Boring. Unrefined.
Nonromantic| 11.12.08 @ 6:46AM
Роману: ничего странного. Мы, в отличие от американцев, жить никого не учим, а они нас - перманентно. Приходится отбиваться.
burger| 11.12.08 @ 8:48AM
Ничего странного нет. Большинство американцев не умеют читать. Мой босс, например, не умеет. А русские прочитали эту статью наверное по ссылке ИноСМИ. Я там тоже часто с удовольствием комменты читаю.
Olga| 11.12.08 @ 9:49AM
Хватит издеваться над ними. Глупость написана в статье, конечно, но ведь в целом, действительно, наши устроили показательные выступления в прямом эфире. А они, в отличие от нас с вами, на этот театр еще пока покупаются, к каждому слову прислушиваются и на свой счет принимают. Грешно смеяться над больными людьми...
Tom| 11.12.08 @ 5:14PM
George H. Wittman is an idiot! Draw comics, dude ;)
Неlen| 11.12.08 @ 9:51PM
Here I completely conused what languag4e to us.Bravo russians!Браво,русские!
Let's say as loud as possible our life-is none of your business.Keep eye on yours.It's our President our life and we were puppets under
Elczin-and now-enough.Care about Afganistan,Iran,Kosovo,loose money in Georgia?pyy salary to Ukranian President, or whatever you want to destroy else.But it will never be Russia.We know how to protect ourselves.We have long history--more than 1200 years ,good memory and great expierene how to defend our land.
Helen| 11.12.08 @ 10:13PM
2 George | 11.12.08 @ 1:20AM
Great article. Author is to0 polite to call this two "modern" russian BARBARIANS by their names. University professors my a$$..... People by accident got where they are.....
You didn't notice yet? They are our BARBARIANS you know.And in Russia we use to say-don't invest your fucking nose to another people life.Both of them have rating about 70 points, both of them speak English and German fluently -and what about you?They forgot more then you will ever know.
So shut up &sit;still and chump your hamburger.For you it's better to chump than to speak.
Olga| 11.13.08 @ 2:55AM
Do you know why there are so little comments from English speaking readers in this comments block? See Tom’s comment at 4:14PM. “GHW is an idiot” and it seems so obvious to everyone that people do not comment. Waste of time for them.
Now, to Russian commentators:
You, guys, know: a good old Arabian-Russian proverb says “the caravan is moving forward in spite of dogs barking”… There will always be someone like George or Ivan or Peter etc. writing stupid “barking” articles both in the USA and Russia, but of course we shall not respond with a rude barking while wishing to be The Caravan.
To Victor (11.11.08 at 8.39 PM – excuse my being strong with you, in advance): about crisis –we all are deeply in sh…t. May be not YOU personally, but me, my family and friends were affected very toughly. So don’t you think that having announced your care of your country reputation you should first get a little knowledge of finance and economics and second read some analysis of the current situation (at Finam.ru, at least) to avoid such nonsense you wrote?! Especially when you are speaking for the whole country. We, the Russians, blame and laugh at Americans for such naïve, poor and arrogant approach and now we are demonstrating the same. Is that the right move you think? Let’s be honest and wise enough to admit that we are all stupid as we have allowed the crisis to be so dramatic both on local and global financial markets. And for all of us it would be much better not to be “George Wittman” but finally to switch our brains on and find the way to get out of this long-lasting crisis. Peace.
Ms. Know| 11.15.08 @ 7:52PM
Is our new government going to be able to keep this guy in control? I doubt it, because he knows the left-wing illuminati are seeking to shake his hand.
Tina| 11.17.08 @ 7:12AM
what's this? journalism? where is constructive and smart analysis? or stink is the issue of the day?
it reminds me u.s. policy for the last 8 years. disrespect towards others, stupid actions. silly words.. and the result is a great failure.. collapse, i hope