TIME Magazine Man of the Year: Vladimir Putin - Page 4

Stinger · 12-20-07, 08:57 AM

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Originally Posted by rhinefire

Time magazine name Vladmir Putin their 2007 person of the year. Good thing Stalin is dead!

Pitiful to pass over General Petreaus for Putin.

Stinger · 12-20-07, 08:58 AM

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Originally Posted by dclxvinoise

I don't think people understand that being named Person of the Year isn't necessarily a good or bad thing, nor is it really an honor. They merely name the person who had the most impact, whether it be good or bad.

Yeah, too bad they passed over General Petraeus to select Putin. What has Putin done in 2007 that overshadows what the General has done?

Stinger · 12-20-07, 09:00 AM

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Originally Posted by L'Ouverture

Well, he has done an impressive job picking Russia up out of the economic disarray brought about by the USSR's fall. Not to mention the ruckus he's caused with his policy towards Iran.

He just did that last year? How did his actions last year have more impact on the world than General Patreaus?

Stinger · 12-20-07, 09:01 AM

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Originally Posted by dclxvinoise

The reason we rarely hear about him is because our media doesn't and has never really focused on events outside of our own borders unless it somehow directly has to do with us.

Since when?

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Again, who do you think was more impactful and more deserving of the title?

General Petreaus.

Kandahar · 12-20-07, 10:32 AM

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Originally Posted by Stinger

Yeah, too bad they passed over General Petraeus to select Putin. What has Putin done in 2007 that overshadows what the General has done?

Umm
A better question is this: What has General Petraeus done that overshadows Putin's ENORMOUS influence on the global stage?

independent_thinker2002 · 12-20-07, 10:35 AM

General Patreaus only worked in Iraq. I would guess that is why he didn't get the call.

dixon76710 · 12-20-07, 10:52 AM

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Originally Posted by Joby

I agree. Like him or not, Putin has brought the Russian economy out of the shambles it was in just a few years ago.

Russian GDP grew 6.4% in 1999 before Putin. Russian GDP grew 6.4% in 2005 with him.

dclxvinoise · 12-20-07, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stinger

Yeah, too bad they passed over General Petraeus to select Putin. What has Putin done in 2007 that overshadows what the General has done?

Patraeus was at least a runner up. And again, I don't understand why people like you think that Person of the Year is some kind of honor. It isn't. If you want to know why they chose Putin as Person of the Year perhaps you should read about it:

Why We Chose Putin - Time Magazine

Let's take a look at a little excerpt, shall we?

Quote:

TIME's Person of the Year is not and never has been an honor. It is not an endorsement. It is not a popularity contest. At its best, it is a clear-eyed recognition of the world as it is and of the most powerful individuals and forces shaping that world—for better or for worse. It is ultimately about leadership—bold, earth-changing leadership. Putin is not a boy scout. He is not a democrat in any way that the West would define it. He is not a paragon of free speech. He stands, above all, for stability—stability before freedom, stability before choice, stability in a country that has hardly seen it for a hundred years. Whether he becomes more like the man for whom his grandfather prepared blinis—who himself was twice TIME's Person of the Year—or like Peter the Great, the historical figure he most admires; whether he proves to be a reformer or an autocrat who takes Russia back to an era of repression—this we will know only over the next decade. At significant cost to the principles and ideas that free nations prize, he has performed an extraordinary feat of leadership in imposing stability on a nation that has rarely known it and brought Russia back to the table of world power. For that reason, Vladimir Putin is TIME's 2007 Person of the Year.

Now, I know that people like you are upset that Patraeus didn't get the honor, but get over it. Not everyone will always be happy with whom they choose. Again, if you don't like it don't buy the magazine or start your own.

dclxvinoise · 12-20-07, 11:00 AM

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Originally Posted by Stinger

Since when?

Since always. We are quite a self-centered country.

RightinNYC · 12-20-07, 11:21 AM

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Originally Posted by Kandahar

Umm
A better question is this: What has General Petraeus done that overshadows Putin's ENORMOUS influence on the global stage?

Yea, I didn't really understand where McCain was coming from when he was so insistent that it should have been Petraeus. I mean, he's a good guy and im sure he's important and all, but really? Petraeus? If it wasn't for moveon, 95% of the country wouldn't know who the hell he was.