Then again, did the US borrow from Putin or was it the other way around? All he needed was his very own Jeff Gannon to blast the opposition and it would have been complete. It's so hard when you start mixing former Soviet KGB people and George Bush. There's nothing quite as heart warming as a staged event with friendly questions. Bothering to ask real questions is so old fashioned. Oh, and Putin delivered a real shocker, suggesting that he may come back to reclaim his old job. Who could have guessed?
Ever since he made way for Dmitry Medvedev to take over the presidency in 2008 after eight years in office, there has been speculation that he is planning to return at the next presidential election in 2012. Today Putin did nothing to dispel the impression that he is Russia's most accomplished and popular politician – and that it is he who actually runs the country. Most of his questioners apparently agreed. They reverentially addressed the prime minister as "Vladimir Vladimirovich".
Putin's eighth annual phone-in was screened live on Russian TV and entitled A Conversation with Vladimir Putin: The Sequel. The event is an opportunity for Putin to demonstrate his stamina, charm and mastery of local detail. Hostile questions are weeded out – with pre-selected factory workers and studio guests "spontaneously" picked instead.
