We Should Probably Look into His Soul a Little Closer

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently suggested that George Bush is a Nazi. This generated a lot of back and forth, controversy, blah blah.

What nobody seems to have noticed is that Putin meant it as a compliment.

Of course, it was a pity compliment. Putin's way better at fascism than Bush. (Damn the American constitution for restraining the genius of our leaders!)

Compared to Putin, Bush is, well, a bush-league fascist. Bush seems unlikely to insist on changing the constitution to take another term. He's not even bothering to hand-pick his successor.

Putin, on the other hand, seems intent on staying in power forever. And to that end he's helped to assemble a group of young people crazed with nationalism and vibrating with resentment that Russia isn't the world's most powerful empire. They go around intimidating foreigners, dissenters, democracy advocates. They're arming themselves. They drill protecting television stations against people dressed in orange (in case Ukranian democracy should threaten their beloved oligarch and Russia's mostly state-controlled media).

And guess what these nationalistic, über-patriotic, lockstep-marching young people call themselves?

Nashis.

Yup. Nashis.

Well, I think the actual Russian plural is Nashii, but the group really is called "Nashi" ("ours" in Russian).

They're getting more and more organized and, apparently, better armed.

But, of course, when they invade Stalingrad, it will be to save it from itself.