Obama vs. Putin?

The world loves the new American president.

He seems clever, he seems thoughtful, he has a winning smile and last, but certainly not least, he has a great speech writer.

The thing I love most about this politician is his fairly often heartwarming appearances in the "And finally..." kind of sections in news websites all over the world.

I wonder how different this is to the Russia's former president Vladimir Putin's recently staged holiday photos and similar, thinly veiled attempts to grab media attention.

Of course Barack is more subtle about it, but the basic aim is the same: to appeal to their public and to try and convince them that in these "recessionary times" (sigh), these politicians are still able to keep their countries ticking over.

Where Obama swats a fly, Putin shoots a Siberian tiger.

Obama gives an 89 year old lady a birthday cake and Putin gives a poor boy an expensive watch.

Their countries may be on opposite sides of the world, as well as traditionally ideologically opposed to each other, but they aren't as different from each other as they would like to believe.