Have we not seen this traveling road show once before?

Old Russian leader places hand picked replacement in charge only to regret it later. This is what happened with Stalin and Lenin. Lenin allowed, or picked, which ever you prefer, Stalin to lead the "party" at the time. Later, on Lenin's death bed, he wrote what is now known as Lenin's Last Testament. In that testament he said and I quote, "Comrade Stalin, having become Secretary-General, has unlimited authority concentrated in his hands, and I am not sure whether he will always be capable of using that authority with sufficient caution." Weeks later he added a PS to the letter that said, "Stalin is too rude and this defect, although quite tolerable in our midst and in dealing among us Communists, becomes intolerable in a Secretary-General. That is why I suggest that the comrades think about a way of removing Stalin from that post..."

What we currently have in Russia today is something of a mirror image of this. In a mirror things are backwards when viewing that which is behind you. This is why "Ambulance" is painted backwards on the front of the meat wagon, so you read it normal in the mirror when it comes up behind you. Today we have Medvedev and Putin. The puppet and the puppet master. But unlike Lenin and Stalin, the roles may be reversed.

Lenin helped put Stalin into his position, then Stalin consolidated the power around him. By the time Lenin realized what was happening, he had suffered strokes and was in no position to remove Lenin, but he was still respected enough to survive calling aloud for such a removal of his prodigy from his position. Or so he thought. Lenin's words were kept secret by his wife until after his death which in retrospect, it was incredibly brave of his wife to ever release the letter at all especially after Lenin's death.

Today Putin has placed for all intents and purposes Medvedev in charge, but he didn't remove himself as Lenin did. He has placed himself in power to the point of watching, guiding or even counteracting what Medvedev does from here on out. But who is the more fierce? With Lenin and Stalin it was the protege who ended up being worse than the proverbial father. Here it may well be that Medvedev is more open to Democracy (Hope and Change too) than Putin so as Prime Minister, Putin can stop, stall or end Medvedev before he erodes his (Putin's) power.

This is the story to watch. One day we may well hear of a Medvedev Last Testament where he suggests Putin's removal because instead of consolidating power, he never gave it up.

But what would I know; I'm just an Average American.