Saint Putin?
Putin's supporters pull astounding stunts. If its not busty Russian chicks calling for a collective Putin “strip” or European techno odes to the Russian alpha male it is more solemn Russian women who are glorifying the Russian prime minister.
It seems that apart from being a gifted Judo fighter, stellar fisher, tiger shooter and whale aficionado, Putin is none other than the reincarnation of Saint Paul himself. The reasoning seems plausible enough for Mother Fotinya, founder of the “Putin sect”. According to Fotinya there are certain parallels between the life of Putin and St. Paul:
According to the Bible, Paul the Apostle used to be a warlord and the fierce persecutor of Christians, and then he began preaching the Gospel. Putin also was not a saint during his service in the KGB. But when he became president, the Holy Ghost descended on him.
Fotinya’s heart breaking story may very well also be her own as she previously spent a year in jail on forgery charges. Having repented for her sins she now follows a more noble cause - namely, that of praying for über-Macho Vladimir Putin.
Father Alexei of the local Orthodox church has correctly identified the sect as “a nonsensical mixture of Orthodoxy, Catholicism, the occult, Buddhism and political information." Nevertheless the sect comes as no big surprise to many in Russia due to the high importance attached to superstition in Russian society.
The absurdity of the Putin sect story is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the media circus the Russian elections are set to become. This is especially true given that Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who once called Condoleeza Rice “a very cruel, offended women who lack’s men’s attention,” is set to run again for president.
Apart from dissecting the minds of female politicians, Zhirinovsky is also known for his expert foreign policy advice, recently advising Muslims to “show solidarity with Gaddafi…[and] not allow NATO to crush the democracy in Libya.”
In other words, we should expect Vladimir Zhirinovsky to play the role of the “emotional” politician, one full of gestures, foul words and plebeian appeal. This will set up a clear contrast with Putin, who looks like the slick, presidential power man. This strategy has been observed in past elections, in which Zhirinovksy also decided to let his fists fly if there was a disagreement on-air.
There is no evidence that the strategy will fail this time, either. Like so many communists and other discredited politicians, Zhirinovsky is set to join the Ash Heap of history. Putin may not be a Saint, but he looks like a lock to win the election.
