If only US presidential races were like this. Reuters reports that Ivan Rybkin, Liberal Party candidate in the Russian presidential race, has turned up after being missing for almost a week. Reuters implies that Rybkin may have been held against his will, although he claims that he simply left Moscow spontaneously to have a short vacation in the Ukraine. Neglecting to tell his political associates and even his wife, his absence sparked a missing persons report and even a preliminary murder investigation. Rybkin claims that he merely chose to get away from the hassles of the campaign for a few days, although his demeanour and appearance suggested that the time was less than restful. The Liberal Party in Russia has a history of political dirty tricks -- another high-ranking party member was assassinated last year, reportedly because of intra-party rivalries.