Kasparov

I have always respected chessmasters (save that wacko Bobby Fischer) and Garry Kasparov as been one of the biggest... not only is he an amazing talent, but it takes a lot of stones to put yourself and your reputation against supercomputers.

Well, I have an even higher level of respect for him now. Kasparov is taking on Putin and his anti-democratic actions and seeks to help unseat him in 2008. As folks like Victor Yushchenko and Mikhail Khodorkovsky have found out, opposing Putin is dangerous business, and Kasparov has already been subject to a mild form of injury in his current line of work. But the guy has a pair of brass ones, and I respect the hell out of what he is trying to do.