Putin's Way ???

The lede in a front page story subtitled "Putin's Way" in the online version of The New York Times goes as follows:

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who wields virtually unchallenged power to reward a new class of oligarchs, also uses the same instrument to punish those who oppose him.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/27/world/even-loyalty-no-guarantee-against-putin.html

I see no reason why that sentence could not truthfully be rewritten to say the following:

President Barack H. Obama ad-Dajjal of the United States, who wields virtually unchallenged power to reward a new class of oligarchs, also uses the same instrument to punish those who oppose him.

Do Americans really believe what's written in their "newspapers"?

Are we that gullible?

Are we that stupid?

By the way, Gorbachev is saying in his new book that "Putin saved Russia from disintegration":

http://rt.com/news/217931-gorbachev-putin-saved-russia/

Clearly, that disintegration was something the West wanted very badly ... and still does.