Well exactly. If Obama could break any laws he wanted and kill anybody who tried to expose him, I reckon he'd be a bad ass gangster too, ffs.

According to the latest available polling data (January 2015) from the Levada Center, Vlad's approval rating gained one point to 86%, a figure that would have our Maximum Leader doing a victory lap around the 'hood.

Russia's economy may be in recession, the ruble has lost half its value and the drop in value of oil has caused the government to lose 40% of its revenues. Evidently, though, a leader who pushes the supposed national interest of his country as the centre of his policies is popular; especially when everything else is going to hell. This is true even if some critics disappear or get prosecuted and jailed for Trumped up (there we go again ) tax fraud charges.

Besides, who wouldn't respect this guy?









5

Ah, here we are back to the battle of the respective parties. Nothing new reading all this lot as everyone backs themselves into their respective corners. I thought this debate helped settle some things for me though even though I would have to be deaf, dumb, blind and stupid to vote for Billary. . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufGl...ature=youtu.be

Yes, usual Russian polling system. Large metal box and two bowls full of feathers and ball bearings respectively. Two large men wait for you outside.

Now we're starting to have a little fun with this stuff, Da? About time this thread lightened up a bit.

If I was to compare Obama to anyone it would be Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus.

American decline, if it exists, started with Bush lying to the world to take us into a war on false pretenses, then undercutting the war plans of the military, the Generals who are trained to plan those things, and sending less than half the number of troops necessary, poorly equipping the National Guard troops, failing to secure arms depots (where all the bombs for those IED's came from) and then letting that nitwit Bremer fire the entire Iraqi army and police force, all of whom were readily offering their assistance in restoring order in the country, sending tens of thousands of now angry and unemployed men home ..... with guns ... to then become involved in the insurgency. Stripping anyone that belonged to the Bathe Party (a requirement under Saddam if you wanted to work) of their jobs, sending every ministry, hospital etc. into chaos with no staff.

Totally botching the rebuilding of Iraq by sending the University students or recent grads who were sons and daughters of big contributors to Bush and the Republican party to head up programs like city planning (with a Bachelors of Arts degree,,or some such thing) and other critical activities.

Bush was the sperm that fertilized the egg of the insurgency and ultimately Isis, through his inept handling of his illegal war. Put the blame where it belongs. There is little appetite in the country, I think, for wading in to another quagmire. We can hardly pay for the last one.

Actually, that's pretty good, Boiler, you've outdone yourself. If accurate, it would not bode well for our princeps.

My choice would be Romulus Augustulus with a tincture of Elagabalus and a whiff of Neville Chamberlain.

So what about Hillary?

Would it involve horses?

You are correct. The default position - on which we have no option on this thread but to agree - is that everything bad that has happened since the Clinton Administration, including the attack on the Twin Towers, was Bush's Fault. No argument there, so let's move on.

The current occupant was elected and re-elected on the promise that he would fix the Bush's Fault mess - although he did announce that the war in Iraq had been won, so it was OK to pull everything out. Does he bear zero responsibility for the consequences of what he's done or failed to do in the seven years since he took office? Just asking.

Hold on now, that was Catherine the Great's shtick...but...

"Obama's studiously avoided declaring victory or the hubris of his predecessor, George Bush, who paraded under a banner proclaiming "Mission Accomplished" just as the worst of the killing in Iraq was about to begin. But the president said that the US has left Iraq better than it found it."

Barack Obama declares Iraq war a success | US news | The Guardian

I'd say he inherited an unbelievable mess - economy, wars, etc - and has been a mixed bag. Some real progress - healthcare, Cuba, economy - and a lot of spinelessness as well, particularly over Syria.

Couldn't agree more. The only thing I'd add is that the Bush Administration essentially pissed away the world's goodwill post 9/11 through the hubris of the neocons.

There isn't much that the US can do about Syria, particularly since Bush 43 squandered all of the US' political capital in Iraq.

See, it’s ALL Bush’s Fault, that’s what I’ve been saying here. It’s the mantra that explains everything, including why we have no choice but to abandon our allies and leave them to their fate. If you were a leader in the Middle East, like in Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Kurds, the "Free Syrian Army," the Gulf States, or Poland or the Baltic States, it would be idiotic and political malpractice to place your reliance on the United States.