So France again demonstrates they are America's lapdogs: "[US president Obama and French president Hollande] criticised Russia for hitting moderate Syrian opposition forces, which they said only bolster President Bashar al-Assad’s government. Hollande would not provide a date for Assad’s transition from power but said it must be “as soon as possible.” " http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2015/nov/24/russian-jet-downed-by-turk... Perhaps France would like to name, identify and locate the "moderate" terrorists/ "rebels" (as Putin has asked for on multiple occasions) and explain to the world how beheadings, and a machine gun shooting of a pilot parachuting for his life, somehow constitute "moderate" behaviour? France - sadly no friend of principle or truth these days. Again, almost all prominent politicians these days appear to be utterly compromised, -and- beholden to USA's interests - France no less than anyone else. Again I say, Russian president Putin is close to the only true statesmen on the world stage today. He has brought Russia back from the absolute brink of total collapse after Yeltsin and Gorbachev, and consistently matches his and Russia's actions with his words and vice versa - the very definition of integrity (for those who have yet to do so, I recommend reading his actual speeches from the last couple years). It is so sad to me that most of the Western world today is, evidently, so utterly compromised (whether by money, sex or blackmail I can only postulate, but this is a self evident fact based on the behaviour of said politicians directly against the interests of their nations and the people they supposedly represent - we can only put down to stupidity a small proportion of all such compromised behaviour). I am grateful that there is at least one leader of a major nation who is not so compromised - this today is Vladimir Putin; I can only hope that future Russian presidents sustain such a level of integrity and commitment to national interests and his/her own people, as he does. He is rightfully popular, and we ought be rightfully proud to have such an example in front of us. Too many things today brings tears to this advocate for sanity, Zenaan