Putin's Picks

Natalia Kolesnikova / AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, speaks with First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev

The campaign is over before it began: Dmitry Medvedev will be Russia's next President. Only two things can stop him. One would be a serious medical emergency. This is unlikely, since the man looks as fit as a flea; it has been centuries since any Kremlin ruler — except for the incumbent, Vladimir Putin — has looked in ruder health. The second snag would be any change of mind by Putin. Medvedev owes his projected elevation to the favor of just one man. Such is Putin's dominance that Medvedev has immediately begged him to serve as his Prime Minister after the...

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