It seems obvious that Time magazine did not mean to praise Vladimir Putin by naming him Person of the Year for 2007. But that's not how Putin chooses to see it.

Moments, ago, the Russian president dispatched his press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, to put a happy gloss on the selection. "Of course we treat it as an acknowledgment of the role that was played by President Putin in helping to pull Russia out of the economic and social troubles of the '90s and in restoring national pride in this country," Peskov told reporters in a teleconference. "This is extremely important for Russia."

I asked Peskov how Putin felt about Time's assertion that he has "dramatically curtailed freedoms."

"Certainly we cannot agree with all aspects of the attitude of Time magazine," he replied. "Time magazine is free to express their understanding, and President Putin was free during the interview to express his understanding. This is something that we disagree with."