NY Times Rakes Mad Vlad

      The NEW YORK TIMES editorial staff rarely takes a country's leadership to task.  They often assign the task to a writer whose work appears on the final page of the 1st section.   Today, Sunday, the Times put out a column by one of their most respected writers and foreign correspondents, Thomas L. Friedman, on Page 1 of Sunday Review, the section most read by politicians, mayors, members of Congress, governors, editors, writers, professors, cab drivers(in NY City), bankers, Janet Yellin, university presidents, students at private colleges, economists, and Pope Francis.
     When given this slot, one has to be good, very, very good.  Mr. Friedman is all good.   he doesn't let us down, nor does he falter.  In brief, he tells the truth about Europe's "Great Buffoon"- Vlad Putin.
     He describes with ample quotes comparisons between Pres. Obama and Pres. Putin made by Americans of various repute, eg. Jon Stewart, Sarah Palin, Rudy Giuliani, and House Intelligence Committee chairman Mike Rogers.
      After this intro, he goes on to give Mad Vlad 'What For" in the form of a recap of his many missteps over the past year and a half.  Without mentioning much of his domestic policies, Mr. Friedman  focuses on foreign policy maneuvers.  Apparently, Mr. Vlad is of the opinion that quantity trumps quality.  If I show up at every conference, every global seminar, every UN function, every EU Meeting, it will suffice to indicate serious intent and power.  Ha.  All it shows is somebody else is paying the fuel bills.  In  this case, his crony oligarchs who head  Gasprom, Rosnef, Vodkadeft, Caviarev, and Bliniprom.
     Now we have the rouble in the toilet and going nowhere fast, but down.  Even the Castro Bros see the hand writing on the wall: they want to be BFF with the Big Momma up north across the straits of Florida.  But Mr. Friedman also warns that a Russyia in decline isn't necessarily good for the world or the USA.  We need another partner in Middle east who can share the burden of combating militant Islam.  If some small oil producing countries retreat from the market, prices may come back up.  However, it is unlikely the US will cut back on current production levels; holding the view that it's time the Arab world face up to a new reality: they are no longer the big dog in the oil business.  There's a "new/old" dog in the game.
      He, Mr. Friedman, is of the opinion that the Russyan peoples my get fed up in time with a country run by a former spook controller and his cronies.  Maybe he'll change; but it is more likely his subjects will seek a "Russyan Spring".  No shirt shirking cowboy will stop it, not with iphones and internet available across the border.
      Accompanying the article is a great photo of Mad Vlad.  In it, he's gazing downward with a third of his face obscured by green drapery.   This pose resonates with all Americans from 10-100.  The Wizard of Oz operated the controls of the wizard machine from behind the green curtain and was exposed when Dorothy's little dog, Toto, pulled back the curtain in the 1939 film masterpiece.   Now the phrase "pulling back the curtain" equals " exposing the man/authority pulling the strings on government or business".  A great metaphor for secret dealings coming to light.