Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived after they had stopped waiting for him.
Photo: Dmitry Azarov
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The Curls Were the Deciding Factor
Russian President Vladimir Putin led a session of the State Council yesterday at which he gave First Deputy Prime Minister not power yet, but the floor, and Kommersant special correspondent Andrey Kolesnikov watched.
Russian President Vladimir Putin entered the hall, where all of the governors were already seated, and went up to the empty place at the head of the table between Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov on the right and First Deputy Prime Dmitry Medvedev on the left. He sat down, looked side to side and said, “The millwright's curls are to the right, the blacksmith's curls are to the left.”
The people around him, including the millwright and blacksmith, looked at the president stunned. And the president was in a good mood, it would seem. It's a line from an old song. I thought it was a French song about a ménage a trois, but then I remembered it's Russian about choosing between two suitors.
The millwright and the blacksmith looked at Putin in alarm. I think they couldn't believe their ears.
The president spoke of his main accomplishments in his speech. Since that topic will be discussed thousands of times in the next two or three years, and for decades to come, there is little sense in doing it today.
“If we can beat inflation, we'll really toot our horns,” Putin said at the conclusion.
He must have been thinking about steamships. Who could imagine what would come next?
When Lipetsk Region Governor Oleg Korolev began to read the report of a working group, I found I couldn't concentrate. The moment with the curls had left me rattled. I was no longer in the moods for work.
And it wasn't just me. The president didn't seem to be listening either. He was continually whispering to Medvedev and it looked like a funny story, although the president seemed to find it funnier than the first deputy prime minister.
Then the president turned to Zubkov and began telling him something funny. I wondered if a future prime minister of Russia had ever told a current prime minister an anecdote before.
Then the president was handed a note. He read it extremely attentively, mire attentively than he would have if he were interested in the Lipetsk governor's report. He handed the note to Finance Minister Alexey Kudrin, who also read it with great attention before passing it on to another minister, who passed it on further. Putin watched the note's progress attentively. Finally Kudrin came up and whispered into the president's ear.
Minister of Economic Development and Trade Elvira Nabiullina read a report about how it would take 270 years to fix the 500,000 km. of roads that need it. Then Putin turned the floor over to Medvedev.
“Not long ago at all,” the president said by way of introduction, “I spoke with doctors who work in ambulances. They told me that it is not just the patients who are afraid when they are put in the ambulances. The doctors are afraid to ride in them too.”
Then he gestured to Medvedev.
Medvedev explained that that problem no longer existed because of the multiplicative effect. “The multiplicative effect of the national projects is obvious,” he said. “Agrarian projects develop not just agriculture but, strangely enough, the banking business as well. The Internet has encouraged the development of telecommunications in our country… Obviously, the multiplicity is in these unexpected side effects.”
The future president said all of that without glancing at the text in front of him and concluded about four minutes later with the phrase “investment must be continued.” He spoke to the point – if that is possible with the national projects.
Two more governors spoke, each taking up another 20 minutes of their audiences lives and then Putin decided to reveal the secret of the note that was passed around.
“Some of the governors sent this note about the last decision of the United Russia Party congress,” Putin explained, “that, because of the growth of inflation, we have to ensure the growth of salaries for workers paid from the federal budget… And that it is unclear how to do that… Yes, your budgets are already drawn up, regional budgets too. Yes, that means we will rewrite the federal budget, and you are regionals. But their will be no confidence in us if we just blow hot air. Yes, we will help some regions, but on an individual basis.”
The president had returned to his old form. But he had shown a side of himself that had never been seen before. The way he tilted his head casually toward Medvedev, the way he laughed. If he had laughed with Medvedev like that before, everyone would have known who was whose successor.
The penultimate speaker was President of Bashkortostan Murtaza Rakhimov. He spoke so quickly and indistinctly that I thought at times that he was speaking Bashkir. I could make out only isolated words.
“I agree with you,” the president said unexpectedly. “Federal officials on location are eating up federal money. [Minister of Regional Development Dmitry] Kozak made revolutionary proposals, and where are they?”
Rakhimov had no answer. Neither did Kozak, who smiled mistily recalling the days when he made revolutionary proposals.
Last to speak was Krasnodar Territory Governor Alexander Tkachev. He read his report from a text from cover to cover. It contained the unfortunate statement that “It is better to be a good millwright than a mediocre, underemployed lawyer.”
He must have forgotten. The millwright was Zubkov. Now it turned out that on the other side wasn't a blacksmith, but a mediocre, underemployed lawyer. And it was an exaggeration – he would be quite fully employed very soon.
Zubkov has a lot to do still. He has to keep the cabinet together and working. Putin mentioned three times that he wanted the cabinet to work “without interruption.” “He can do it and I know he will,” the president said about him.
At the end of the session, it became known that Putin was named Time magazine's Person of the Year. According to its website, he was still ranked sixth among the candidates when the meeting began. J.K. Rowling was then No. 1. Now all that remains is to read his interview there.
Andrey Kolesnikov
All the Article in Russian as of Dec. 20, 2007
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