Bush has the greatness to not only dream up a State of the Union address like AXIS-OF-EVIL speech but he dared deliver it because it suited his neo-con ideas of winning in IRAQ and rebuilding IRAQ with "IRAQ Oil money".

Where was Dr Rice then? Where is Dr Rice now. Salvaging what is left of the Middle East. Trying to BUILD any semblance of BUSH foreign policy legacy!!!

We are sitting on a powder keg of dynamite called BUSH who has the audacity to utter phrases like "World War III...,", a sitting President of the USA!!!!

Putin has to make the TIME cover for 2007!!! Time editor's are smart. Because a lot depends on Putin now!!!!

Has BUSH not done enough already!! Is he going to give us a WW III but for the CIA NIE report on Iran. Cheney "can not OUT" all the agents of the 16 Intelligence communities that go into making the NIE report!!!!

May GOD save our nation and the world till January 2009.

We NEED the CLINTONS in the White House to put our country and the world back in order.

This will probably not be posted now because I wished you all Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas to you to CNN.

You seem to only see one side, instead of actually challenging your mind to look at both sides and make a decision all your own, rather than only listening to party line item thoughts. Before you say it, yes, I ask my own party to take this tact, if one does not fully think out their decisions on issues they end up sounding like these two yahoos who have insulted a nations leader before they are even in office. How do you walk up to a person to discuss world issues if you have already insulted him and called him down? Put yourself in this scenario, you are about to meet with someone that has publicly scolded you, what would your opinion be of that person? Think before you speak, first rule of diplomacy.

Posted By Tom, ALBUQUERQUE, NM : December 19, 2007 7:32 pm

Tom day after day you babble on about nothing...If you really believe Putin is more Respected than GW than you are sicker in the head than previously thought...Please Seek HELP

No, it takes an idiot to do so. Rapid growth rates have HISTORICALLY PROVEN to be unstable. Growing too fast continues to cause most economic relapses. The US economy is well regulated for growth rate, Russia's GDP is mainly from tapping it's natural resources. The US is still waiting to tap it's oil on both coasts and Alaska. I would worry very little about the state of the economy if I were you. These tribulations are very short term problems. Unless we make more stupid legislation like regulating gas mileage beyond the limits of basic energy balances (Ethanol costs more energy than it saves!).

Posted By Kerry, San Jose, CA

Pay attention. Putin's term as President of Russia will expire in May 2008. He has all but assured the election of his protege, Dimitry Medvedev, who returned the favor by promising to make Putin the prime minister of Russia if he's elected. When the next U.S. president deals with Russia, he or she will be dealing with Vladimir Putin, even if he happens to call himself Dimitry Medvedev on occasion.

Got proof of Bush doing that?

I love how people in there bashing comments put the negative of putin with bush and then put the negative of bush with romney. Makes a whole lot of sense?!?!

Though I don't think I would have taken Patreus as man of the year I definately wouldn't have taken Putin. Regardless, Romney and McCain have always thought about the United States first and foremost.

Romney comes off as an American who is conservative in beliefs like the Republican party but doesn't have all the other foreign Policy problems that most republicans do. He works for the people of the country first and foremost. I like that!

Fact is, your comments and other GOP are not part of the public discourse–do you think "if you are elected President" (like the moon is made of green cheese...) your public comments related to Mr. Putin may make political discourse with him, or Russia just a tad more difficult?

Truthfully, I've seen leaders put more thought into putting on their socks–than you or the "quick shot" artists of the GOP–have given to discrediting an allied world leader and business associate of the United States.

Are we back into the cold war? Some of the things our current President has done on the U.S. and world stage–could be viewed similarly in other countries. I do hope their leaders have a little more self control–than you and some of the other candidates have shown. What a dope!!

Who wants to stand by Bill, and vote the way he does, and celebrate another 4+ years of lieing, backsliding, failure? Who wants to vote to continue sending America back to the Dark Ages? Then step up and join the [R]-bots in their holy quest to re-formulate our country, while you hypocritically wrap yourself in the flag and consitution!

Switch in 'president of the US' for 'Man of the Year' in the above, and you will see, Mitt, exactly how over 1/2 of this country feels....about something much more important that a silly magazine's recognition. And by the way, that same feeling will linger if you happen to make it to the white house, Mitt. Its about both you, Mitt, and a journalism/media that no longer does its job. The dumbing-down of America runs apace, and the Karlidiots on the 'right' are loving it.

For the last time, Time does not give this out as a honor, but who has impacted society the most.

By the way, Putin's approval rating in Russia is mote than 70% whereas Bush's is less than 30%.

Name one time where we have refused to give visas to another country to come and monitor our elections and you might have a point. However as usual those who are so blinded by their hate of Bush can't logically comprehend the idiocy of the comparison of Bush and Putin.

BWA HAHA HAHA HA HA HA HA!!!

That is too funny!

George W. Bush speaking about Putin June, 2001.

Ooopsie...yet another thing a Republican said that turned out not to be true. Can't they just get one thing right?

Time Magazine has chosen many controversial people since they first started making the choice back in 1927.

Time Magazine chose Adolph Hitler as man of the year in 1938. They also chose Joseph Stalin twice, Nikita Khrushchev, and Ayatollah Khomeini.

The Man of the Year, or Person of the Year since women have been chosen as well, is not at all a popularity contest or a touchy feel hug fest. It is a person who has had a lasting impact on the world community.

No matter. Mitt will fade into obscurity after the primaries are over.

Those same traits you bash have been personified by Time's 2004 "Man of the Year"...George W. Bush.

It's about who was most newsworthy not who is most moral.

2001 was the biggest joke when Rudy one. Bin Laden, though a complete scumbag, won hands down that year–that is, if Time consistently applied it's criteria.

Guliani stood up to organized crime as a prosecuting attorney, even as they called for hits on his life. Plus, he did clean up New York.

Yet Romney still has the core values of market freedom and self-sustainability. A successful businessman may be the type we need in office, not idealogical pundits.

In May 1999 Bush addressed the Texas House and Senate and uttered these famous words, "there ought to be limits to freedom."
Since that time he has done everything he can to take away freedoms and emasculate The Constitutional provisions of The Bill of Rights.
Do some of your own research and you will also learn that he is a spiteful, demogogic, mean-spirited, law breaking individual who would be an ex-con right now if it wasn't for daddy. At least G. H. W. Bush has some sense and the ability to reason. Dumbya has no positive quality that has ever been specifically pointed out by anyone.
Have a great life and keep buying those rose-colored glasses,
Bob

I agree with Governor Romney's sentiments; Time Magazine's selection of former KGB despot Vladmir Putin is disgraceful yet not a 'shock'.

The entries in this blog by liberals are absolutely laughable; like a stubborn child who is throwing a temper tantrum (and needs a spanking), many Democrats REFUSE to acknowledge the improving conditions in Iraq due to General Patraeus' military leadership and President Bush's tenacity to squash the bloodthirsty, intolerant terrorists.

Liberals want to throw the baby out with the bath water; their hatred for President Bush is paramount, regardless of the ramifications it may have on our nation and our military.

Just yesterday a true TORTURE HOUSE (established by the terrorists) was discovered by our brave troops north of Baghdad. No, not water boarding or sleep deprivation; poor souls who were chained up, tormented with electric shock, and then shot in the head.

Is President George W. Bush perfect? No, the man has made errors, but he has prevented terrorist attacks on U.S. soil since 09/11/2001. Success is NEVER an accident.

God bless our brave troops overseas, and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of them.

Posted By Scott, Muncie, IN

Ironically, Beck read a quote from Time that itself was chosen out of context. The bit about bringing stability was only the second clause of a sentence. The full sentence: "At significant cost to the principles and ideas that free nations prize, he has performed an extraordinary feat of leadership in imposing stability on a nation that has rarely known it and brought Russia back to the table of world power."

The rest of Time's reasoning repeats that idea - that Putin has brought stability to his country, but he's also squashed lots of civil liberties to do that. I don't think either can be denied, and I don't find that flattering. And the POY article itself isn't really flattering, either.

Time makes it clear they are NOT "praising" Putin. Romney is basically saying, I understand it's not an honor, but I wish they wouldn't honor him this way. It doesn't make sense.