Putin as Person of the Year in Time?

I was somewhat surprised to see that Time had selected Russian President Putin as "Person of the Year." Though I sent them a Letter to the Editor it wasn't accepted, and therefore I release my comment on this blog for anyone subsequently interested:

Choosing Putin as POY was somewhat a surprise. Noone can blame him for following the political ideals that he has, but it has to be said that his steel hand has been behind much suffering in many states. Many conspiracies have been weaved and much has been done to twist events to fit the "brand" that the Putin regime has tried to build.
Condoleeza Rice would have been my choice for POY any time. She is so darn popular and has still withstood the temptation to run for President. So truly a special lady that would have been much more worthy of the attention of your magazine.

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Hillary won Florida, and congratulations with that. Looking forward to Super-Tuesday and hope Sen. Obama will get a fair chance - despite the mudthrowing from some.