Putin

If nothing else can be said for the man, he's certainly one of the most interesting political leaders since the days of Thatcher and Reagan. This article that I found in the archives of The Atlantic, written in 2005, eschews the media hype that usually surrounds the political leader and looks at the man behind the tiger-shooter, whale-harpooner, and judo-expert. Very interesting. On a lighter note, here's a great series of pictures from the same magazine that highlights the sort of action-hero status that makes him such a fun politician to follow...even if he is, you know, a bit on the totalitarian side, potentially dangerous, all that.