Putin's just given up pretending...yes, seems that way

Anyone who had hoped that Russia's upcoming elections might be an opportunity for positive change or regime revision should just go ahead and stop holding their breath - it ain't gonna' happen. This story from the Foreign Policy blog reveals that Putin has brazenly restricted the number of election observers that will be allowed to monitor the upcoming elections - not a good sign. Just a few observers for a country with 11 time zones. That won't cut it. I particularly enjoyed this delicious little observation in the article:

"Since Russia waited until a month before the election to issue its initiation, OSCE and other groups have had to scramble to obtain visas for their observers. Getting a travel visa for Russia is a trying experience under the best of circumstances, but the current regime has proven masterful at using the inefficiency of Russian bureaucracy as a political weapon." (emphasis mine)

Man, is that ever true. Anyone who has ever been to Russia can give a big amen to that observation.