MOSCOW -- According to a recent international poll, Russia is among a handful of nations that largely support U.S. President George W. Bush and want him re-elected. The Democratic Party nominee, Sen. John Kerry, doesn't do well at all among Russians surveyed -- as opposed to the overwhelming approval he enjoys in France and other countries.
This difference in taste is quite telling and supports an old theory that Russians are closer to Americans than they are to Western Europeans: No matter what the eventual outcome of the November election, the fact is that right now about half of the American population is willing to vote for Bush. Russians definitely approve, while the French do not.
It is, first of all, an issue of looks and demeanor. Though both Kerry and Bush belong to the same privileged class of American society, Bush is blessed with the appearance and manners of a self-made man. Kerry, unfortunately, looks as precious as an orchid plant. Russians definitely detest sophistication and good manners, preferring bluntness and pronounced manliness instead.