Wake-up call for Russia? Putin watches as missle launch fails.

A technical glitch thwarted the launch of Russian ballistic missiles in the Barents Sea on Tuesday during naval maneuvers overseen by President Vladimir Putin, who watched the massive exercise while decked out in naval officer's garb aboard a nuclear submarine.

The failed launch - part of an exercise described as the largest show of Russian military might in more than 20 years - marred an event apparently aimed at playing up Putin's image as a leader attempting to restore the country's military power and global clout.

Thats just funny. But what comes next is a bit scary.

A Defense Ministry spokesman refused to comment. And Russian state-run television channels, which are lavishly covering the daily activities of Putin ahead of the election, did not report the failed launch.

How open of a democracy is Russia really? They still concern me because they aren't experiencing the type of economic growth that was expected once they ditched communism. And with a non-open media hiding military failings, I just wonder how far they are from falling back into a communist or totalitarian state. I worry that they might be just one charismatic strong leader away.

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