When the terrorists held the children hostage, Putin should have informed them, that chechneya was being held hostage and if they didn't surrender and release the children that chechneya would be vaporized with thermonuclear weapons. That's where the Russian government made its big mistake. Somtimes Putin in situations that warrant it, has to ask himself, what would Stalin have done?
WWSD?
I'm not going to come out in favor of Stalin, but we are learning that being one of Stalins' victims does not automatically make you a Jeffersonian Democrat.
Just as being one of Saddam's victims didn't make Muqtadr Sadr into a political progressive. And I was watching an interview today with some of the bad guys in Fallujah, who had been brutalized by Saddam, but were now fighting us because they didn't have electricity quickly enough.
Some souls yearn to be free, and some souls demand to be locked up.