Vladimir Putin unsuccessfully tries to drive a bobsled (video)
Ahead of next month's Russian presidential "election," Vladimir Putin visited a new Olympic training center outside Moscow to burnish his image as a rugged outdoorsman. And what says "tough guy" like driving a bobsled?
Putin wanted to drive the sleigh by himself, but the Russian team put the kibosh on his Santa dreams, saying it was too dangerous. The Russian premier eventually agreed to ride as a brakeman in a two-man sleigh. Deciding against his usual shirtless ensemble, Putin wore a parka for the ride.
He and his partner, national team member Alexei Shadeyev, failed to make it up the training hill and had to start again.
This clip is an apt metaphor for Putin's political career. He gets a big initial push, starts out well, fails to make it all the way up the hill and then demands another try at it.
North Korea later issued a press release claiming that Kim Jong-un was allowed to drive his own solid-gold bobsled, made the run in four seconds and totally got to the top of that hill, plus Mt. Everest. And the moon.
