That is the problem with serving autocrats, they insist you tell them what they want to hear and replace you if you don't. Then, when events prove what you told them was in fact false, which you probably knew if you were good at your job, you are blamed for the bad info. There's no winning, unless what the autocrats want to hear happens to coincide with the actual facts in the field, as it mostly does not.
Another Brit paper carries a story remarking on Putin's recent bloated appearance, anomalous decisions and insistence on sitting far from visitors. The Daily News speculates all of this is caused by steroid treatment for cancer or perhaps early stage Parkinson's.
The U.S. isn't the only country suffering from problematic leadership.
