Wednesday, December 19, 2007

TIME'S ODD CHOICE OF PERSON OF THE YEAR

As Time Magazine's reigning "Person of Year," I am reluctant to hand over that title to Vladimir Putin.

The editors of Time, which named "You" (me) as their person of the year for 2006, selected the Russian President over such power players as Al Gore, J.K. Rowling, China's Hu Jinato and General David Petraeus, who should have been selected.

The basis for choosing Putin is the economic stability he has provided Russia in his years as President. This is Putin's last year in his term, and Russia is now firmly on the world stage as an economic power. In a country where the average citizen is much more concerned with making a decent living, rather than politics, Putin has enjoyed tremendous popularity.

Vladimir Putin has his critics, and they are loud enough to tell me that Time Magazine has made a mistake. The Russian president has been accused of frequently using violence to quell protesters and sending them to asylums. Some journalists, before their time in jail, have labeled Putin a dictator. Time freely admits "he is not a good guy!"

As a cog of the massive left leaning media machine, Time makes a fundamental error in support for their choice when they tell us: "Stability comes before freedom." A conservative believes the opposite to be true. It is obvious that the magazine editor's would draw blood first before choosing a conservative.

If the millions of the "2007 Persons of the Year" were asked, I am confident someone else would have been selected. The choice should go to General Petraeus, who has turned the War in Iraq around. That has made many Americans feel better, and, when discussing stability, the world is a little more secure. In addition, the turn around of the war has had, and will continue to have, influence on our 2008 presidential election.

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