FEISTY

Putin Rips on Protesters, McCain

Says prisoner-of-war camp drove senator mad.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is already in the hot seat after tens of thousands of protesters accused him of election fraud, while rivals are trying to derail his plan of returning to the presidency next year. He might have helped their cause by giving an incendiary interview Thursday during a call-in show on Russian TV. Putin lashed out at the protesters for being "agents of the West." He also called John McCain "mad" after the senator tweeted recently: "The Arab Spring is coming to a neighborhood near you." Putin said McCain's experience as a prisoner of war drove him mad. "Anyone [in his place] would go nuts."