Time magazine named Russian President Vladimir Putin its  "Person of the Year" for 2007 on Wednesday, saying he had returned his country from chaos to "the table of world power" though at a cost of democratic principles. He doesn't care about civil liberties; he doesn't care about free speech; he cares about stability. But Putin, 55, is enormously popular in Russia, presiding over a resurgent economy based on income from oil and natural gas. On the other hand, stability is what Russia needed and that's why Russians adore him. Time magazine said on its Web site that Putin, the son of a factory worker had led Russia with persistence, a sharp vision and a sense that he showed the spirit of "Mother Russia". The selection came days after Putin announced a plan to hold onto power after his term ends next year. Putin said on Monday that if his close ally ,Dmitry Medvedev, won the presidency, he would serve as Medvedev's prime minister. "Putin has put his country back on the map.  And he intends to redraw it himself,"Time said. "He will continue to lead his country as its prime minister and attempt to transform it into a new kind of nation, beholden to neither East nor West." Time said the person of the year distinction, which it has awarded since 1927, is not an endorsement or a popularity prize but a recognition of the individuals and forces that shape the world. "At significant cost of, the principles and ideas that free nations prize, (Putin) has performed an extraordinary _ of leadership in placing stability on a nation that has rarely known it and brought Russia back to the table of world power. For that reason, Vladimir Putin is Time's 2007 Person of the Year," the magazine said. Time had earlier selected four other Kremlin leaders for the distinction:  Stalin, who was chosen twice, Nikita Khrushchev, Yuri Andropov and Mikhail Gorbachev. What's the major reason why Putin becomes popular in Russia?
His successful economy policy His outstanding ability of politics His great contributions to Russian economy and social stability. His wisdom of changing the world.