Show Them Who's Boss

Today I want to say that I understand. It's hard for some of you out there; a little constitutional barrier here, a little interfering parliament or journalist there. I know, and I feel your pain. We can't all be untouchable supreme leaders like Richard M. Tater. That's a given. Still, don't despair (just stop sending me these whiny fucking emails). If the glare of the media is unbearable, and the West is watching your every move, you can always turn the attention to your advantage and generate publicity with an essential by-product: a reminder to everyone, internally and internationally, of who calls the shots. 

Take Vladimir Putin. Career winding down? Getting older? Beset by punk rock acts, pro-democracy movements, and Western criticism?  Besides a resurgence of the security state, Mr. Putin knows that sometimes the best solutions are very public in nature.