As U.S. conservatives started expressing their admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin with more enthusiasm , there were two broad groups. The first likes Putin’s governing style and willingness to launch invasions without a lot of planning or forethought.

Rudy Giuliani, for example, is part of this contingent. Putin “makes a decision and he executes it, quickly,” Giuliani recently told Fox. “Then everybody reacts. That’s what you call a leader.”

The second group hasn’t been as vocal lately, but it’s been around longer: social conservatives who celebrate Putin’s social agenda in Russia. As Aaron Blake noted , we were reminded of this latter group in a high-profile way today.

A top evangelical leader in the United States has some supportive words for Russian President Vladimir Putin – at least when it comes to his crackdown on gays and lesbians in Russia.

In a column in Decision magazine, a publication of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Graham’s son, Franklin Graham, says Putin’s record on gay rights is far better than that of President Obama.