Madison was right to fear factions.

It seems like a very big loophole that would allow one to serve as president after having exceeded the maximum number of terms allowed under the country's constitution. But that's exactly the situation The New York Times describes today in its article on Putin's endorsement of Russian presidential candidate Medvedev. The news today is that Medvedev would name Putin his prime minister if elected. The article goes on to describe the ways in which this would be skirting around a constitutional issue by reporting that some suggest Medvedev might even step down early, if elected, which would restore Putin to the presidency. The article does a fair job pointing out Medvedev's weaknesses as a candidate; namely, that he is not very connected except through Putin.

The Boston Globe also focuses on political allegiances in its article on campaign fund-raising for Gov. Deval Patrick and Lt. Gov. Tim Murray in the months since they have taken office. The article expands in detail from naming the total amount (a whopping $1.4 million) of contributions raised so far to describing the nature of the relationships that have been formed in the process. The focus is on Republican State House lobbyist Robert M. Platt and the trail that brought him to support the current Democratic administration.

The Washington Post article on the bombings in Algiers this morning begins with the sad notation that this is the second attack in that city this year and the deadliest since Algeria's civil war in the 1990s. It goes on to note the particular nature of the casualties, the intended targets and the fact that no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks yet. The article quotes Interior Minister Zerhouni's possible explanation behind the bombings, the particular circumstances of which are as yet unknown but which seem to have begun with a suicide bomber in a car near the U.N. office complex.