Michael McFaul: I've watched and listened to Putin for over thirty years. He has changed.

[demmiblue]

I’ve watched and listened to Putin for over thirty years. He has changed. He sounds completely disconnected from reality. He sounds unhinged.

Link to tweet

[Ocelot II]

1. Yes; he sounds like TFG now.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

4. Two pees in a pod.

[dchill]

6. Two turds in the punchbowl.

[mountain grammy]

39. Ha.. so true!

perfect!!

[SheltieLover]

66. Bazinga!

[Sogo]

2. Someone posted a tweet from Marco Rubio, vice chair of Senate Intelligence Committee,

saying the same thing....that Putin's changed....

[Corgigal]

18. Read that last night.

It is alarming. I hope Putin’s doctor knows, and somebody better be ready to take action.

[KS Toronado]

35. Yep, somebody better be ready to take action.

Like help him "accidentally" fall out a 20 story window

[LisaL]

62. What kind of action?

Trumps doctors were claiming he is healthy as a horse and totally fit. Do you expect Putin's doctors to do otherwise?

[raccoon]

68. You got that right. Nt

[COL Mustard]

75. I don't think they have a 25th Amendment

Of course, we do, but we didn't use it when we needed to.

[Srkdqltr]

3. Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

I think that is the quote.

[machoneman]

53. Yes it is. Lord Acton, long ago...........

[certainot]

71. like TFG and all the fascist communist authoritarian leaders - power is in the royal certitude. tha

that's what their authoritarian followers worship them for. they reduce the world to absolutes to help their minions turn their right hand masturbation-based fear of uncertainty and complication into simple black and white, good evil, existing and destroyed, the greatest and the worst. that's why they thrive in chaos and uncertainty - it increases their contrast with the uncertainty their followers fear. they must also help their followers rationalize their denial of reality to accept that comforting certainty, which is usually based in long established fantasies like religions and other value structures, biases, bigotries, lies, etc.

once that brain circuitry is well established and the leader gets really good at rationalizing the denial of reality to create certainty for anything, the power becomes, in their mind, absolute, so they can do anything and there's no need to imagine consequences

'leaders' like that are essentially insane but it's the far end of a spectrum that's been normalized for centuries with kings and queens, popes and bishops, etc

added to that aging sex on the wrong brain insanity he may also be feeling pushed into a corner and desperate if he got some notice that the kremlin might be exposed for international propaganda operations used to sell global warming and covid denial that's getting millions killed, push migration surges to destabilize democracies, etc.

[dalton99a]

5. More rambling and delusional, but same lies and same goals

[dchill]

10. He feels time running out.

Bad news in a paranoid megalomaniac.

[Demovictory9]

24. still a murdering barbarian

[ms liberty]

7. Yes, something has happened to him.

I agree with him, and he's far better informed and knowledgeable than I.

[maxsolomon]

8. The only change is that he miscalculated.

He's always been a Nationalist. He's always been willing to kill. He's always been ruthless. He's always been a sociopath.

[Budi]

16. THIS ⬆️ . He's Always Been a Sociopath

Same person, different day.

[leftieNanner]

37. It sounds like he has changed - for the worse

Now from several sources.

Not good news that he's a WORSE ruthless sociopathic killer.

With nukes.

[maxsolomon]

46. i'm skeptical.

most of that is opinions based on analysis of speeches, his long tables, his reported isolation.

i'm more inclined to think this is the culmination of his long term revanchist ambitions. ukraine's 2014 revolution was an insult he couldn't abide, and the measured reaction of the west to seizing crimea emboldened him.

it's likely he's always believed this bullshit rationalization of russia's imperial rights to ukraine.

[COL Mustard]

76. More like a National Socialist

He's acting like a fascist.

[SergeStorms]

9. Like others have said...

I think he's ill, possibly facing some terminal disease. It's definitely effecting his mind as well. Someone in the government or the military has to step in a remove him from power. He's doing the country and people of Russia absolutely no good with this unhinged blood lust of his.

[Igel]

14. Not fundamentally.

It's just that he appears more free to express himself and less constrained. Perhaps he's feeling his megalomania more, perhaps he's feeling embattled, perhaps as others have said he's concerned with his legacy.

And the media are less prone to overlook his loony utterances.

[empedocles]

25. Drunk on power

[intrepidity]

34. Disinhibition is an early symptom of neurodegenerative disease

such as Alzheimer's.

[Danascot]

56. Someone should have stepped in to remove TFG

... didn't happen.

[SergeStorms]

79. Yes. Putin's enemies are scared of polonium tea....

and Trump's enemies were scared of nasty tweets. Who do you think has more to fear?

Just goes to show what a bunch of gutless worms the current crop of republicans are.

[Cha]

11. That would be like his ASSet

trump

[Hekate]

12. McFaul is someone whose observations I trust and respect. Now how can that be used?

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

[nolabear]

19. I like those sunflowers.

Old ladies don’t play. 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

[Ocelot II]

13. I read an article the other day - will try to find it again -

that talks about how autocrats become more and more isolated as they become more powerful. They surround themselves entirely with sycophants, enablers and opportunists who dare not tell the boss anything he doesn't want to hear; as a result they believe things that are manifestly untrue but that support their belief in their own power and all-around excellence. This is what happened to Hitler. It also happened and continues to happen to TFG, who was given only those polls that showed him winning the election. Putin is said to be extremely isolated, and it's entirely possible that he didn't know his army is in shit shape, that Ukraine would fight back hard, or that NATO would unite against him, because his flunkies were afraid to tell him.

[Budi]

17. Exactly describes the failure of autocrats.

Isolated by their power.

[nolabear]

20. I'd like to see that article. It's on point.

[Ocelot II]

22. See post #21

[nolabear]

23. Thanks! 💛💙

[CloudWatcher]

42. And covid

... has led to increased isolation. So now his advisors are even more united in insanity.

[Budi]

15. Because he promised the RU corrupt Oligarchy he would deliver them the United States

And Trump failed them all.
The American citizens elected Joe Biden & no desperate attempt to change that decision succeeded.

Putin is beholding to his promise & he's gone mad with desperation.

Trump assured Putin he was just the man to deliver the head of the US Govt to the RU global criminal org.
Trump told Putin, "Pick ME Vlad, what have you got to lose?!"

😬

[mountain grammy]

48. I agree with this..

He expected a second term as the force behind the American president and he's angry! This is to hurt Biden, just like anti vaxxers.. it's all to discredit Democrats so we can hear "Biden's weak" over and over again. His moves to destablize America had been working so well, right up to the election.

I realize this may sound small and conspiratorial, but that's who republicans and Putin are.

[Ocelot II]

21. I found the article I mentioned in post #13:

Putin thinks he's the hero of Russia's story. He couldn't be more wrong. By Ruth Ben-Ghiat, MSNBC Opinion Columnist

...All strongmen build "inner sanctums" to manage day-to-day governance. Composed of flatterers, family members and cronies, all of them chosen for their loyalty rather than their expertise, they shield him from any unpleasant counsel — and share handsomely in the profits from his thievery. This is certainly the case in Russia, a fully realized kleptocracy: In 2018, 3 percent of Russians held about 90 percent of the country’s assets, with Putin's oligarchs owning the lion's share of those.

Over time, exerting this kind of power can lead an autocrat to believe his own propaganda and act on his worst impulses, leading not just to the destruction of his foreign enemies, but to destabilizing situations at home that can jeopardize his rule. We saw, for example, the thousands of Russians participating in anti-war protests over the past days. A Russian platoon allegedly surrendered to Ukrainian troops when they realized they were sent there to “kill Ukrainians.”

As is typical with strongmen, the present international crisis reflects Putin's private preoccupations — what haunts him, as well as what he takes for granted due to his arrogance.

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/russia-s-ukraine-invasion-could-lead-putin-s-downfall-n1289955

[demmiblue]

33. Thank you for the article. Here is another from The Guardian about the increasing isolation, and...

the people who surround him:

Putin’s security men: the elite group who ‘fuel his anxieties’

Russia’s growing isolation has strengthened the ‘siloviki’ who surround the president

...

In Putin’s telling, he was alone with his top security officials when he made one of the most fateful decisions of his political career.

Since then, Russia’s growing isolation has only strengthened the so-called siloviki, the Russian security men who have surrounded him, many of whom served in the KGB and have maintained conservative, often conspiratorial political views.

We do not know exactly how Putin makes his most important political decisions. Tatyana Stanovaya, the founder of political analysts R.Politik, recently divided the Russian elite into two groups: technocrats who dominate government but “have no remit to interfere in security matters” and the siloviki who “dominate the agenda, fuel Putin’s anxieties and provoke and escalate tension”.

As Russia gathers troops and appears ready to launch an attack in Ukraine, these security advisers may have an outsize effect on what happens next.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/04/putin-security-elite-siloviki-russia

[Hortensis]

41. Thanks, both. It seems possible that he may also be borrowing

technique from his pet poodle, and Hitler and others. If these days a buffoon like tRump can succeed by swamping his nation with nothing but absurd lies that feed his followers' fear and grievances,...

[lastlib]

77. "Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present" --Ruth Ben-Ghiat

An EXCELLENT book! I've been reading it, and she has a lot to say about Putin and his minion tRump (none of it good of course). I HIGHLY recommend it!

eta: Alibris.com had it at a good price!

[madamesilverspurs]

26. Hmmm . . .

Maybe slow poison, doing to him what he's done to others, but less obvious. Hey, it's not like he hangs out in tall buildings with open windows. Lavrov would no doubt welcome an excuse to just walk in and take over . . .


.

[calimary]

30. But should we trust Lavrov?

I don’t know that much about him.

I HAVE been taking more note of Putin. And everybody I’ve seen him with, in photos, is taller than he is.

Forgive me, but I can’t help but wonder whether he’s got a short-guy complex. His whole pursuit of power strongly suggests a wish to assert dominance in other ways. I also can’t help but suspect he has other - um - “deficiencies”.

[colorado_ufo]

55. This.

I thought that he looked poisoned in the last video I saw. I do not think Lavrov can be trusted. There may be more to Putin's distancing himself from everyone besides a fear of Covid-19. Putting a lot of physical space between him and any of his advisors helps prevent a Julius Caesar scenario.

[BGBD]

27. It's madman theory

He's putting on a show to make others think he's lost his mind so that they are afraid to call his bluff. It's what Trump just spent years doing.

[calimary]

28. Evidently that's what happened to Hitler.

[AlexSFCA]

29. it's called FEAR

[bucolic_frolic]

31. You'd be unhinged too if your orange puppet listened to a pillow guy more than you

[spanone]

32. msnbc just said putin made the decision to invade alone. One man holding the world hostage...

WITH NUKES

[BlackSkimmer]

36. I'm beginning to believe what the British press are saying. He's gone mad.

Frightening.

[groundloop]

50. I've always thought Putin to be a highly competent tyrant, I'm starting to have doubts.

Putin was masterful at manipulating 45*, I still recall the meeting between them which 45* walked out of looking like a whipped puppy with his tail between his legs. He was almost genius at using 45*'s own greed and arrogance against the interests of the US. And it wasn't all that long ago either.

I certainly hope that his "adventures" in Ukraine lead to a glorious crash-and-burn so that the world can be rid of him.

[BlackSkimmer]

57. Yes, but he seems to have slipped.

This is dangerous.

[intrepidity]

38. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if TFG advised him

"Go batshit crazy, say anything you want, the more outrageous, the more people will love you!"

For TFG, it's been a winning strategy.

[Jarqui]

40. Like we said with Trump,

dangerous to have a guy like that with access to nuclear weapons ...

[dawn5651]

43. putin has always been unhinged.

[uponit7771]

44. K&R, he'd be wearing a MAGA hat here screaming at masks mandates

[struggle4progress]

45. I'll guess he's developing dementia; and I predict he'll soon be chanting

Person! Woman! Man! Camera! TV!

[The Unmitigated Gall]

47. There's just no way we can know

What’s going on with this guy. He doesn’t look very healthy. I pray there are people like the Colonel who “saved the world” in 1983 are present and able to defy orders for planetary suicide.

[ultralite001]

49. Is Putin ill???

Moon faced... rambling... behavior changes... like some folks on steroids...

Moon facies:
[link:https://www.healthline.com/health/moon-face#definition|

[NewHendoLib]

52. His face is all puffed up, looks like Stewie from Family Guy

[halfulglas]

54. I noticed his puffy face, too.

With his isolating himself over the last 2 years because of Covid, I wonder if he didn't have it during that time and maybe be a long hauler.

And of course I can't help thinking of how much the anti-American Republicans make fun of Joe Biden because of his care taken to wear his mask in public and set a good example. But Putin sits at a 50 foot table across from a single person and that crowd doesn't think this is odd? He makes it look like his usual power plays like sitting on a higher chair than others, but to me it looks like fear the other person if closer may see something in his face or he's afraid of catching the virus.

[LisaL]

60. His face looks like he had plastic surgery in the past.

At some point in the past his eyes looked to be pulled toward the back of the head, like happens with a face lift. It's settled now. He is 68 and wants to look a lot younger.
He might be injecting fillers to prevent wrinkles.

[Chicagogrl1]

58. Word on the street

Is that he’s not physically well. Possible neuro illness which would explain his change in behavior.

[LisaL]

61. There was a rumor that he had Parkinson's.

That would really be bad news. Parkinsons can cause all kind of mental problems, psychosis, hallucinations, delusions. But I don't think he has it.

[Chicagogrl1]

64. Exactly! Puffy face is from steroids.

[Backseat Driver]

59. He had some dreams; they were clouds in his vodka, clouds in his vodka.

The oligarchs want THEIR money back; he did not deliver the USA via the TFG!

[Evolve Dammit]

63. So he had good qualities prior to this??? He is a brutal dictator then and now.

[Cherokee100]

65. Trump

Trump must be sharing his private stash with him. . Being he thinks Pooty, is such a genius.

[Enoki33]

67. I too trust McFaul's observation that

Putin has changed. That does not change the fact that Putin has been planning the invasion for a long time. His isolation and miscalculations may have contributed to him thinking the time was right to move. I also suspect that the oligarchs, who will pay a heavy price, will ultimately find an open window on the fifth floor for Putin.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

69. I trust Ambassador McFaul on this

[KY_EnviroGuy]

70. Long-term power madness. Demonstrates why term limits are good especially in oligarchies.

Fear and greed eventually enters and consumes human minds where excess power and wealth exists....


Thanks for posting this, Demmiblue........

[C Moon]

72. He was THAT close to destroying the US.

He’ll never have another chance.
I still think that he’s either having mental problems or he’s been told he won’t live much longer. He’s sure acting like the latter.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

73. Curious changes in Putin's appearance pointed out by former CIA agent when asked about his health

Putin has changed https://www.rawstory.com/putin-2656798686/

Link to tweet

"Well, here's what French President Emmanuel Macron said recently about Putin, and it was reported in the Wall Street Journal," host Witt prompted. "That 'Mr. Macron noticed a change in Mr. Putin's demeanor when speaking to him on the phone over the course of the pandemic. He tended to talk in circles, rewriting history, a close aide to Mr. Macron said. if you look at the video of Putin talking to leaders across those long tables.' What does all this suggest to you, the level of isolation that he has endured due to his paranoia about Covid? "

"I completely agree with that," Walder replied. "That is one thing that I have noticed lately, even -- and I know this sounds superficial -- but if you really just look at pictures of him, which I tend to do quite a bit, the shape of his face has even changed. He looks different, he speaks differently, and he's crossed over to what I think I consider to be almost the dark side of history."

"Look, Putin was never a friend, if you will, but most of the things that he was doing was really sort of cyber, psychological operations, those kinds of things," she added. "Now he's really crossed over sort of that red line into, you know, this full military warfare, but then part of me wonders if we should be this surprised."

[Martin68]

74. If you consider Putin called out the Kiev leadership for being drug addicts, I suspect some

projection might be involved. Trump[ and Putin work out of the same playbook: always accuse your enemy of doing what you are doing.

[Warpy]

78. That's what happens to autorcrats who stay in power too long

They get surrounded by yes men who want to succeed them, get disconnected from reality, get paranoid, and start making crazier and crazier decisions until they get overthrown.

Had he bowed out gracefully at their last election, he might have been regarded as one of the better leaders.

This progression isn't universal but it's common enough that autocrats, even true reformers, need to be avoided.

[lindysalsagal]

80. Long-term anxiety must be seriously detrimental to the

Defenses, and emotional stability. All of this felt good
to him when he imagined it. Not so good, now that thousands are protesting, and the world is balking.

[JudyM]

81. Perhaps suicide is part of the "illness" profile...