Political Quotes

“Mr. President, over the weekend, the Russian Federation held a Presidential election. And surprise, surprise, officials declared a landslide victory for President Vladimir Putin. By their account, Putin won a fifth term in office with a whopping 87 percent of the vote--the highest level of support in any previous elections. This reminded me of a story--I think maybe true, maybe apocryphal--of a reporter who was traveling with a driver in Iraq in the run-up to the Iraq war. And as was typically the case in dictatorships, the report was that Saddam Hussein won 100 percent of the vote. And the reporter asked the driver, he said: Well, you have been with me; clearly, you haven't been able to go and cast your ballot. To which the driver responded: Well, I guess Saddam knew what was in my heart. As implausible as that result was and as implausible as this result is, it is entirely predictable. After all, elections in Russia are unlike elections here in the United States or any other democracy. In Russia, elections are carefully orchestrated by the Kremlin. The candidates are hand-selected. The results are predetermined. And the opportunity for change is nonexistent. In short: Russia's elections are a sham. They are neither free nor fair, and it is no surprise that Vladimir Putin will continue to lead the corrupt and morally bankrupt Kremlin. The result of this election was always guaranteed. And the only real question is: What comes next?…”