It is part of the macho/military/strong guy image.

IMHO he's over compensating to the point of appearing to be in the closet gay, but then Putin has already told the world that there are no gays in Russia. Yeah right Vlad.

Putin in reality is a bit of a twerp as far as international power is concerned but he seems to push this tough guy Russian image thing to the max. Wish he would just buy a shirt..

All owed to Teddy Roosevelt. As far as I know the first world leader to market a tough-guy image through staged photography. Teddy was known as a Harvard dandy early in his political career, so staged studio shots of himself as an outdoorsman. The first ones comical with the Hollywood-looking tassled cowboy getup. However, to his credit, life imitated art, and he later became a true outdoorsman.

I think you are right but he is doing that for the home audience and that is what matters to him. For the rest of the world, he has his army to play tough.

Ad Muncher

I think you're thinking of the President of Chechnya, not Putin.

Putin was wearing the fins and wetsuit because he was doing hand catch of fish underwater. I think with a little spear slingshot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ncwvvnct_M

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Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

[quote cerveloguy

Putin in reality is a bit of a twerp as far as international power is concerned[/quote]
disagree. the man invaded other democracies, pretty much consequence-free. that's a huge amount of power.

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https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

I thought Trump was having his balls washed during his vacation.

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Suffer Well.

Camo dive suits are actually pretty standard fare - a surfing buddy also freedives/spearfishes and his suit for that is camo. I assume (not sure how effective it is, though) that it's intended to provide some level of camouflage in the same way as camo in land-based hunting.

I thought Trump was having his balls washed during his vacation.



It's hard to believe, based on that photo, that someone looking fit and strong could be so debilitated by "heel spurs"...

FIFY

Is that an admission that the US interfered in the Ukrainian election?

No. I think the fact that we elected a black, Kenyan Muslim and a reality-show star as the last two Presidents is proof positive that the American public is in full control of Presidential elections, v.s. cadres of oligarchs and intelligence strongmen.

I couldn't help but chuckle at this one:

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War is god

That's the obligatory straight man BJ pose pic. You know, to further prove his manliness.

Can you imagine the amount of fear and anxiety Trump feels when sitting across for this psycho. They are so opposite. Trump is like a wounded baby deer even just tweeting. I bet it takes all of Putin's self control to not leap over the table and rip the throat out of such a weak prey.

"July 30 marked the 80th anniversary of the official launch of Joseph Stalin's so-called "Great Terror" — purges and deportations that eventually led to the deaths of 700,000 people."


Pfft!!! Amateur hour. I read, somewhere, that Trump is the second coming of Hitler. Now that's real purging and death.

Stalin made Hitler look like a girl scout. Gimme Stalin any day. The fact that Hitler is being compared to the doy doy wet brain of a president proves Stalin's cred.

He got them from his ceremonial head gear, shiny trinkets, and ego being too heavy at the New York Military Academy.

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Suffer Well.

He got them from his ceremonial head gear, shiny trinkets, and ego being too heavy at the New York Military Academy.

Not only did he avoid service, he's a heel striker...

Wait, is that his buddy jwbeuk or OH sporting the dandy-wood pose to the right? Suddenly it all makes sense....

Wait, is that his buddy jwbeuk or OH sporting the dandy-wood pose to the right? Suddenly it all makes sense....

The picture was from a long time ago but even though Trump has aged, they still keep this poster around to remember the good old days.