G'day Bob. I respectfully disagree with your statement that "They are evil and as long as their leaders are evil...". I understand that you're being allegorical/metaphorical here to make a point, but 'evil' is a word too often applied casually to the intrinsic vagaries of normal human behavioral motivations. Religiously inclined people may ascribe these aberrant quirks of behavior to 'evilness' but those of us who are not believers in Supreme Beings (who ostensibly care about individual human beings) understand this merely as the 'normal variances' that characterise our species as it has evolved naturally.

More simply put, 'Herr Putler' (as able an understudy of Adolf Schikelgruber as ever there was among the Slavic peoples) is more likely just a clever but highly narcissistic and power-mad egomaniac, completely obsessed with both his aspirations to emerge as Russia's neo-Tsar and his dreams of restoring the Russian empire's lost former glory.

It's all too easy to dismiss those we intensely dislike as 'evil' (a posture that silently proclaims that we are somehow more righteous and worthy than others), when in fact they simply maintain a different Weltanschauung.

Personally speaking, I despise Putin fully as much as do you, but I recognise that 'evil' or not, he is fundamentally a very, very crafty opponent with pronounced Machiavellian tendencies, who has made it clear that he only understands power and willful determination, underscored with formidable military might. And as some wag recently put it: "Biden brings checkers to Putin's chess game..."

While I do not customarily read TIME magazine, that publication has over the past several years put forth several excellent assessments of Putin (several by Moscow correspondent Simon Schuster) and Putin's world view. They are worth reading. You may find them here:

1) The World According to Vladimir Putin

2) Vladimir Putin, the Imperialist

3) Putin Believes He's Destined to Make Russia Great Again

And finally among several excellent books on Putin is author Steven Lee Myers' excellent character study of Putin, 'The New Tsar: The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin'. All highly recommended for greater understanding of this 'evilness' you ascribe to him.

Thanks for continuously stimulating our aging brain cells, Bob!