Putin is named Time 'Person of the Year'

[almaty 19]

NEW YORK - Time magazine on Wednesday named Russian President Vladimir Putin its 2007 "Person of the Year."

The nod went to the Russian leader because of Putin's "extraordinary feat of leadership in taking a country that was in chaos and bringing it stability," said Richard Stengel, Time's managing editor.

Putin, 55, is enormously popular in Russia, presiding over a resurgent economy flush with revenue from oil and natural gas. But critics say he has moved the country away from Russia's democratic reforms of the 1990s by tightening control of the media, courts and parliament.

"He's the new czar of Russia and he's dangerous in the sense that he doesn't care about civil liberties, he doesn't care about free speech," Stengel said.

Putin recently endorsed protoge Dmitry Medvedev's presidential bid, and later said he would accept Medvedev's offer to serve as prime minister if Medvedev is elected in the March 2 election.

Many believe Putin would remain Russia's real leader, regardless of his title, though Putin has said he would not undermine his successor. The Russian constitution limits presidents to two consecutive terms.

Others who were in the running for Person of the Year included Nobel Prize-winner Al Gore and author J.K. Rowling.

This year's choice was a return to the magazine's tradition of picking an individual rather than last year's choice of anyone creating or using content on the World Wide Web.

Previous individual winners have included Bono, President George W. Bush and Amazon.com CEO and founder Jeff Bezos.

i agre..he is the new czar and has curbed freedom of speech and the press to Soviet days....I guess, Chavez was runner up

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

No civil liberties but a flat tax. He's a good man, in a Godfather kinda way.

[AnewKINDofFEELIN 0]

Putin? Seriously. Who's next? Kim Jong-il?

[almaty 19]

No civil liberties but a flat tax. He's a good man, in a Godfather kinda way.

bullsh!t..flat tax on who..the non-favored....he is a kgb ..dickhead.,.and thanks to him i am building 2 new fences over the holidays////

also, brother arijit..you would take a czar over personal choice..for a flat tax?

[Nessa 23]

damn it! I should be the person of the year

[AnewKINDofFEELIN 0]

No civil liberties but a flat tax. He's a good man, in a Godfather kinda way.

bullsh!t..flat tax on who..the non-favored....he is a kgb ..dickhead.,.and thanks to him i am building 2 new fences over the holidays////

also, brother arijit..you would take a czar over personal choice..for a flat tax?

I'm thinking you should switch on that sarcasm filter.

[almaty 19]

lol..i know brother arijit,.,very well..and just trying and give this threead some legs...hoping for a right winger facist to come along anfd defend Putin

[AnewKINDofFEELIN 0]

lol..i know brother arijit,.,very well..and just trying and give this threead some legs...hoping for a right winger facist to come along anfd defend Putin

Unfortunately, communism falls LEFT of center.

[Ban Hammer 13,345]

lol..i know brother arijit,.,very well..and just trying and give this threead some legs...hoping for a right winger facist to come along anfd defend Putin

Unfortunately, communism falls LEFT of center.

don't confuse them with facts now!

[SMOKE 1,426]

i am building 2 new fences over the holidays////

fascist fence builder!

[eric&gen 0]

Who will be person of the year for 2008 President Bush lol

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

No civil liberties but a flat tax. He's a good man, in a Godfather kinda way.

bullsh!t..flat tax on who..the non-favored....he is a kgb ..dickhead.,.and thanks to him i am building 2 new fences over the holidays////

also, brother arijit..you would take a czar over personal choice..for a flat tax?

So are the Chechens dead yet? I haven't heard much about that little problem in a while. Did Putin fix that too?

[almaty 19]

lol..i know brother arijit,.,very well..and just trying and give this threead some legs...hoping for a right winger facist to come along anfd defend Putin

Unfortunately, communism falls LEFT of center.

no, Putin is not a commie anymore..more a right wing czar..

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Exactly. Communism is dead, people. The fight today is against fascism. It's time y'all recognized.

[almaty 19]

No civil liberties but a flat tax. He's a good man, in a Godfather kinda way.

bullsh!t..flat tax on who..the non-favored....he is a kgb ..dickhead.,.and thanks to him i am building 2 new fences over the holidays////

also, brother arijit..you would take a czar over personal choice..for a flat tax?

So are the Chechens dead yet? I haven't heard much about that little problem in a while. Did Putin fix that too?

lol..the sh!thead "islamics" (note: Chechen ..for those who want an Islam state) leaders of the group are dead..and gone...Putin has pumped millions into Chechenya and rebuilt allot of what he and that drunk F##k before him destroyed..so, they are being bought off....

.but, not here in America..we are buying guns:...a 25 caliber ..a pellet rifle..a 22 caliber rifle..putting up 8 fences.....waiting for the WHITE ARMY of the Czar to invade...

Exactly. Communism is dead, people. The fight today is against fascism. It's time y'all recognized.

i agree totally....to be powerful these days..be a facist..oh you can call yourself, a socialist (chavez) but a facist is still a facist