Democracy in Russia now, Bush said,
Is shaky–causing Putin to retort
That Bush himself is hardly one to talk,
Since he was put in power by a court.

That’s right: This Putin talks as if the court
Decided on its candidate, then stretched
To find a way to justify that choice
By bits of law, no matter how farfetched.

Old cold war stuff, some said. They thought it droll
That Putin still could view our world so blackly
He’d think Bush got in office by a coup,
Which couldn’t happen here. Well, not exactly.