Putin On Chicago: "Al Capone Lived There"

By Samantha Abernethy in News on Mar 7, 2012 6:40PM

Reporters asked Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday how he felt about maybe coming to Chicago for the NATO summit in May. Putin may attend if an agreement on missile defense is reached first.

His response to reporters was puzzling and mean-spirited. The Associated Press writes:

Evidently feeling stung by former Chicago denizen President Barack Obama's failure to call and congratulate him on his presidential election win over the weekend, Putin played it cool.

As the journalist pressed again, Putin shot back, saying: "Yes, they say (Chicago is) good. Al Capone lived there."

Putin was president from 2000 to 2008, then became the prime minister because term limits pushed him out. Russia's election Sunday brought him in for a third term. There are some questions as to the accuracy of the results. Putin won 99.82 percent of the vote in Chechnya. Gee, that seems really likely given the region's distaste for Russia. Then again, voter turnout in one precinct was 107 percent.