John North Editor & Publisher

My imagination ran wild after I read where Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putinís protÈgÈ and choice for next president of Russia, said last week that, if elected, he would ask Putin to become prime minister.
†I envisioned the Putin-Medvedev relationship as eventually turning out like that of Dr. Frankenstein and his monster.

Whenever I read about a political relationship where one person is the throne and the other, the footstool, I wonder how it will hold together over time, knowing the predictably unstable nature of political alliances.

In this case, people around the world are smirking over Dmitryís obvious lapdog dependency on his mentor, Vladimir, who pundits believe will use his henchman to perpetuate his grip on power. Boris Gryzlov, the leader of Putinís party (United Russia) and speaker of the lower chamber of parliament, has even gone so far as to suggest that Stalin ó I mean, Putin should retain power by taking on the open-ended role of ìnational leader.î (Should we cut to the chase and call him Czar Vladimir?)

Itís hard not to surmise that the dimunitive Dmitry (5-foot-4) is merely serving as a figurehead for Vladimir (5-foot-7), in the latterís quest for totalitarian power.

Based on psychological studies, I think there is something to be deduced from the relative height difference between the two vertically challenged men, especially considering that Vladimir reportedly augments his lack of stature with shoe lifts, covered by extra-long trousers. The Kremlin also carefully coordinates camera angles to make Vladimir look like a bigger man than he is.

Maybe thereís a Napoleonic complex going on here, with Vladimir preferring to recommend as his successor a man who is even shrimpier than he is.

† dmitry-medvedev.jpg

Dmitry Medvedev

As for Dmitry, his life to date strikes me as a character study in how to move up without hardly trying.

The son of university teachers in St. Petersburg, he went straight from law school to becoming a university law professor ó and part of a group of Putinís puppets known as the ìPetersburg lawyers.î

He even wrote textbooks titled ìCivil Law. In Three Volumesî and ìQuestions of Russiaís National Development.î The latter examines the role of the state in Russiaís social policy and economic development.

The titles of Dmitryís two books strike me as supremely ironic, inasmuch as one of the Westís major criticisms of Putin is that the law is whatever he says it is. Also, to date, it appears ó at least publicly ó that the ever-loyal lackey has never ìquestionedî any move by Putin to intrude the state into national development.

But thereís a side to Dmitry that makes me wonder if Vladimir is unwittingly following in the missteps of Dr. Victor Frankenstein ó and perhaps to his ultimate downfall.

Specifically, Iím referring to Dmitryís reportedly oft-professed love of Western hard-rock music ó especially his favorite bands, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin.

He collects their original vinyl records, and as a youth, he made endless copies of their songs, even though the bands were then on the official state-issued blacklist.

Vladimir, beware! You may have a rock ëní roll rebel on your hands.

Dmitryís three favorite bands, all of which are British, are considered the pioneers of heavy metal and hard rock, known for highly subversive lyrics and anti-authoritarian attitudes.

Does Dmitry secretly yearn to be a anarchistic Brit? (Or is he simply following in the footsteps of another notorious toady ó former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who fronted a rock band in his youth?)

Besides absorbing a subversive mindset from the endless repetition of the countercultural lyrics, he clearly has a record (so to speak) of rebelliousness from his reckless disregard for the law by copying banned music. If he admittedly broke this law, what else is he capable of?

Does it raise no suspicions, Vladimir, that the scoflaw Dmitry later assumed the camouflage of a law professor, in order to become the favorite of you, Russiaís potentate extraordinaire?

Vladimir, you may not know the titles of what your boy, Dmitry, is listening to ó ìHush,î ìParanoid,î ìWar Pigs,î ìTomorrowís Dreamî and ìTrampled Under Foot.î

And finally, Iím concerned that Dmitry is a practioner of yoga, an ancient spiritual practice originating in India. Its ultimate purpose is to lead to spiritual understanding and profound insight into the nature of existence.

What if Dmitry, while practicing this subversive art to the tune of some rebellious, mind-expanding music, arrives at the insight that he is his own man ó and now has the power to turn on you, Vladimir, his creator?

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John North, publisher and editor of the Daily Planet, may be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .