Seeing Red: May 2002 Archives

May 31, 2002

Putin the Master of the One-Liner

(From The Moscow Times) For months after President Vladimir Putin came to power, the most often asked question among journalists and pundits seemed to be: "Who is Mr. Putin?"

Two years later, at least one of his traits is clear: Putin is a master of dry one-liners -- a feature experts say is typical for a career spy and a sure sign that the once bland-seeming newcomer has gotten used to being president.

Putin's sense of humor has made hundreds giggle in the past two weeks of high-profile diplomatic events where Moscow has been riding high, including the U.S.-Russia summit, the signing of the Russia-NATO treaty and the European Union-Russia summit this week.

"I see the name of a Mr. Engels from Germany on the list," Putin said Monday, opening a congress of European audit institutions. "Thank God he came without Marx," he joked -- playing on the once sacred names of communism's founding fathers, Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx, and sending the audience into fits of laughter.

At the NATO meeting in Rome, Putin spooked foreign heads of state by suggesting the alliance's headquarters in Brussels be renamed House of Soviets, since "soviet" in Russian can mean "council."

There are a number of reasons behind Putin's public displays of humor, according to psychologist Konstantin Babkin. Most important, after two years, Putin has come to feel he's in the right place, doing the right job. That, combined with some image advice and the quick wit of a 15-year KGB veteran, can yield a laugh a minute.

"Their minds are trained to think differently and much faster, to assess a situation and quickly predict the outcome," said Babkin.

One of Putin's first one-liners as president is also his most infamous. Asked by CNN's Larry King in September 2000 what happened to the Kursk submarine, Putin smiled coyly and replied, "It sank."

Apparently, all intelligence agents have a great sense of humor.

"I have never met a spy who didn't have one," said Maria Arbatova, a writer and psychologist.

During his time at the St. Petersburg mayor's office in the 1990s, Putin earned the reputation of a great joker, Arbatova said. And for years afterward, his staff entertained friends and relatives with "jokes from Putin."

Intelligence veterans confirmed that a sense of humor was one of the most highly valued qualities in their line of work.

"All of us who achieved any prominence in society have a great sense of humor -- take Putin or me," said Yury Kobaladze, a retired major-general of the Foreign Intelligence Service and formerly a Soviet spy in London.

"It is wrong to think that secret service staff are all gloomy and stern," he said. "In the British department of the Foreign Intelligence Service, humor was a key part of the job."

Regarding Putin, who was a resident in East Germany in the 1980s, Kobaladze said he was pleasantly surprised to see that a man from the Germany department -- where "one would expect agents to be more reserved and pedantic" -- proved to be such a joker.

Putin's sense of humor is appreciated even by comedians.

The president's jokes are not only funny, but spontaneous, said Gennady Khazanov, one of Russia's most famous stand-up comedians and a long-time friend of Putin's.

"I have enough expertise to say that 99 percent [of Putin's jokes] are improvizations," Khazanov said.

Khazanov agreed with Babkin that Putin had been reluctant to expose his sense of humor to the general public earlier most likely because he had not yet adjusted to his presidential status. "He never planned to become the head of state," Khazanov said. "He never tried to prepare himself for the job."

But once Putin begins to joke, "I always laugh, and I get his jokes much faster than those of some professional comedians," he added.

According to Arbatova, Putin's humor is also an indication of his mental health. "He is the first normal leader we have had since Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev," she said. "Psychologists simply derive pleasure from looking at him. He is normal and that is obvious from the way he moves, he talks, his quick reactions."

Babkin believes that Putin himself is pleased with his ability to deliver a funny line. "When he jokes, it's the child in him speaking. You can see a spark in his eyes. His facial expressions, or even the way he moves his head, suggest this," he said.

Babkin predicted that as Putin gradually moves into the presidential campaign for 2004 elections, more of his humorous side will come out.

"When he came to power, for many -- including myself -- it was totally unclear who he was," Babkin said. "Now the time has come when we are beginning to find out."

Posted by Michelle at 01:01 PM | | Comments (0) Mail this entry

Pootie Poot

Pop the champagne, congratulations are in order. I discovered this morning, quite by accident, that Seeing Red ranks between third and fifth on Google for the search terms "Pootie Poot". A dubious accomplishment, to be sure, but let's see if we can push it to the top with the following Ode to Pootie Poot from Madeleine Begun Kane.

(To be sung to the tune of "Lollipop" by the Chordettes)
Pootie-Poot, Pootie-Poot, oh Pootie, Pootie, Pootie,
Pootie-Poot, Pootie-Poot, oh Pootie, Pootie, Pootie,
Pootie-Poot, Pootie-Poot, oh Pootie, Pootie, Pootie,
Pootie-Poot.

Call my Putin Pootie-Poot.
Tell you why.
His soul is sweeter than an apple pie.
But with his tough negotiation stance
Man, I haven't got a chance.