By Aaron Blake
The Washington Post
Russian President Vladimir Putin is increasingly a pariah on the world stage, with very few people holding a positive view of him or his country.
Back home, though, it's the complete opposite. As Russia has enmeshed itself in controversies in Syria and Ukraine -- and now allegations that its allies were responsible for shooting down a civilian plane last week -- its strongman leader has only grown more popular. In fact, he's more popular than a politician in the United States could ever dream to be.
A new poll from Gallup shows that 83 percent of Russians approve of Putin's job performance.
That's up nearly 30 points from last year -- and tied with the previous high from his first stint as president, in 2008. Clearly, his people think he's doing something right.
To put that in perspective, the last time any American leader or politician was that popular was George W. Bush, for a brief period shortly after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. And just four months after the attacks, Bush was back below 80 percent.
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