Were it not for the French, Greece, and Schleswig-Holstein
elections on Sunday, Putin’s inauguration for his third term would have been
the top news.
The ceremony included a tepid speech by outgoing “President”
Medvedev (“Putin was elected by a majority of voters”), comic-opera marching
soldiers, inspiring Tchaikovsky, marches, and the singing of the revamped
Soviet national hymn. Putin marched alone down the red carpet of the Kremlin Palace
in his characteristic swagger and administered the oath to himself, after which
the chairman of the constitutional court, clad in mortarboard and black
academic robes, declared Putin president of the Russian Federation. The Ceremony
ended, Putin re-transversed the red carpet, pausing at the end to greet well
wishers.
Putin’s address made no reference to reforms. Nor did it
offer any conciliatory words for those who oppose him, although tens of
thousands of protesters had demonstrated angrily on Moscow streets the day before. The beatings
and mass arrests Putin’s forces delivered to the demonstrators spoke volumes
about his intentions towards any one who stands in his way.
Dr. Gregory's latest book can be found at Amazon.com.
hmmm, interesting
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