Moskva

Last night, the three state-run TV channels aired an “interview” with Medvedev, where he was allowed to hold forth on Georgia and Ukraine, show off some toughness, assure over the financial crisis, and rejoice in Russia’s sports victories. Each time you see Medvedev, he seems more and more “presidential,” playing to the nationalism that is popular here, and leaving his image as a “weak liberal” behind. His face gets red when he rants about Ukraine, he’s developed the ability to whip up nationalistic rhetoric at will. You can watch the whole thing (in parts) on YouTube, and above is the beginning. Make sure you watch until at least minute 2, that’s when they show the first of several videos that interspersed the interview.