Well, that's what I'm assuming will happen. I'm writing this article on Friday, and I see no need to wait until the actual "election," if it can be called that.

The Russian election is one huge sham. I have not seen a more corrupt election process since Saddam Hussein carried out a yes or no ballot on his presidency and he claimed to have received 100 percent of the vote.

What made this vote necessary is a constitutional requirement that Putin step down as president in May. Unable to run for a third term, he set up a system that would allow him to continue to hold power as Russia's Prime Minister.

Putin did a lot to prepare the way for this vote. First, he made changes to electoral laws, largely pushing opposition parties out of the political system. Among the most important are:

• Increasing the minimum percentage of votes required for a party to enter parliament from 5% to 7% and banning parties from forming coalitions in order to break through the higher threshold.

• Increasing the minimum number of members a party must have in order to be officially registered by the authorities, from 10,000 to 50,000.

• Banning independent candidates from running for parliament.

The next step for Putin was to take full control of every major media outlet in Russia. One by one, television, radio, and print publications have come under state control. The three national television networks are all Kremlin directed. Many of the remaining independent media outlets have been bought up by Gazprom, the state national gas company. The only evidence of free press that's left is the operation of a few small-circulation newspapers.

The final step has been fraud, intimidation and bribery in the voting process. Several leaders of the other Russia-opposition coalition have been arrested for no valid reason. Many Russians say they are being pressured to vote at work under the watchful eyes of their bosses--at the risk of losing their jobs. Others say they have been promised money if they vote for Putin's party.

Former chess champion and Kremlin critic Garry Kasparov has dismissed Russia 's parliamentary election as a farce that will push the country toward what he called a "single-party dictatorship."

I'm deeply disappointed in how Washington has responded to this farce. President George Bush did say he was "deeply concerned about the detention of numerous human rights activists and political leaders." Judging by the severity of Putin's actions, Bush's comment of “concern” might as well be interpreted as a ringing endorsement.

In the near future, I expect Bush to greatly regret not being more forceful with Putin. Whenever someone heads down the path towards dictatorship, it always end badly for that person and for the nation seized. Like the old saying goes, "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Autocratic leaders don’t like to be static. Once they achieve victory, they are always looking for new conquests. History would warn that Eastern Europe is in danger, but I think this time around, Israel is the one that needs to be watchful.

In the past few years, Terry and I have frequently suggested that Putin could be the Gog leader that attacks Israel. If he is the man, we will probably soon find him very interested in Middle East affairs. The next confrontation between Israel and one of her Arab neighbors could draw Putin into fulfilling Bible prophecy.

"And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel , as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes" (Ezek. 38:15-16).