ALTERNATIVE CROP OF MOSB107 Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, right, and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin wave during the United Russia party congress in Moscow, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011. Russia’s dominant political party on Saturday nominated Vladimir Putin for president, almost certainly ensuring his return to the office he held for eight years, and approved Putin’s proposal that current president Dmitry Medvedev swap places and become prime minister. (AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Yekaterina Shtukina, Presidential Press Service)