On the previous post. I view the Solidarnost movement (Solidarity, a Russian opposition movement) with understanding, but without enthusiasm. I’m very, very skeptical about Boris Nemtsov’s political prospects (he’s a good guy, interesting to talk to, interesting to listen to, but to vote for him after all this). But I admit that the idea of nominating him for mayor of Sochi is a brilliant invention and a superb political move. Obviously there’s no real broad grassroots initiative behind it, but it was clearly worth coming up with. I’ll watch with enormous pleasure as the authorities squirm like a snake on a hot pan. Any outcome is bad for them and good for Nemtsov—whether they let him run or remove him on some pretext. Of course, the best option for the bloody regime would be to put up a strong candidate, allow Nemtsov onto the ballot, and wipe the floor with him. But first, there is no such candidate—there’s only a line of crooks under Governor Tkachev—and second, they’re scared: what if? *They could, in theory, find some heavily promoted media figure to counter Nemtsov, someone like a hypothetical Vladimir Solovyov. He’d blow Nemtsov out of the water, but there’s one catch: the winner would actually have to work. That’s the detail. They’d have to bust their ass. Build a stadium and run around with their tongue hanging out. Shouting, "Where’s the cement, for fuck’s sake?" and "Why wasn’t this reported on time?" A hypothetical Vladimir Solovyov wouldn’t want to run around doing that—he’d want to carve up the financial flows and smile from billboards saying, "Come visit us in Sochi." With a hypothetical Vladimir Solovyov, you’d have to build a whole system of relationships and reach agreements. And nobody wants that. In short: I approve, fiercely and wholeheartedly. I’ve grabbed a bag of popcorn and I’m following the developments.