The election of Vladimir Putin was a dark day for Russia, and for America too-and not just because he is a thief and an autocrat, but because his hangers-on have made his rise mean more than what it is. By himself, Vladimir Putin is just another petty dictator with a Swiss bank account, an army of drunken cops at his disposal, and a willingness to trample his own mother if she crosses him in public.

Matt Taibbi: “The worst journalist in Moscow” the eXile, 30 March 2000