Democracy in Russia now, Bush said, Is shaky–causing Putin to retort That Bush himself is hardly one to talk, Since he was put in power by a court.

That’s right: This Putin talks as if the court Decided on its candidate, then stretched To find a way to justify that choice By bits of law, no matter how farfetched.

Old cold war stuff, some said. They thought it droll That Putin still could view our world so blackly He’d think Bush got in office by a coup, Which couldn’t happen here. Well, not exactly.