Demagogue

The AP reports:

Citing troubling behavior by the Kremlin, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed skepticism on Sunday about the future of democracy in Russia.

"We are very concerned, particularly about some of the elements of democratization that seem to be going in the wrong direction," Rice said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, while on good terms personally with President Bush, has been criticized for centralizing political power and rolling back democratic gains.

But, Condi, how can this be? Years ago, your boss told us he had looked into Putin's "soul," and he assured Americans that the Russian leader was pro-democracy.