NYT-1201: STATE OF THE ART A Thermostat That's Clever, Not ...

Putin supporters, including brazen stuffing of bal
lot boxes. Not only did United Russia barely secur
e a legislative majority — 238 seats out of 450, d
own from 315 now — it had to cheat to do it.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in E
urope said election administrators lacked independ
ence and there was no free media to cover the camp
aign. Some opposition parties were barred, and Uni
ted Russia was given huge advantages over those th
at could run.
The United States needs Russia’s cooperation on a
host of issues, most notably Iran, and the Obama a
dministration made the right decision to try to “r
eset” the relationship. But that can’t mean giving
Mr. Putin’s authoritarian ways a pass. So it was
good to hear Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Cli
nton express “serious concerns” that the voting wa
s neither free nor fair.
Since then, Washington has said nothing about the
government crackdown on protestors who have turned
out by the thousands to denounce the electoral fr
aud. More than 1,000 people have been detained, am
ong them a number of prominent opposition figures.
The administration needs to keep speaking out. It
would certainly help to have an American ambassad
or in Moscow, but Senator Mark Kirk, a Republican
of Illinois, is still blocking the confirmation of
Michael McFaul.
Mr. Putin has promised to shuffle the government n
ext year. What he really needs to do is listen to
voters who are demanding a real chance at politica
l competition and economic opportunity. Unfortunat
ely, he has long ago made clear his disdain for de
mocracy. And while his approval ratings have decli
ned, they remain, for now, above 60 percent. But t
he lesson of this week’s election is that Russians
’ patience is not unlimited — and a surprising num
ber can imagine a world after Putin.