Sunday, May 06, 2007

Yeltsin burried, Bush plays drums.

On April 26 Boris Yeltsin was buried. I remember a book from my childhood in my fathers library "Boris Yeltsin". On the cover was a stern looking white man. I never got to read it. He is credited with ridding Russia of communism and ushering in democracy but he is also held responsible by some for the Chechnya massacres in the 90's. Later in life, I loved watching the video of him doing some crazy dance - completely intoxicated! He liked to consume more than his fair share of alcohol and have a good laugh, which sometimes led to him stumble off planes and once he attempted to conduct an orchestra at a very important meeting in Paris (to the embarrassment of his countrymen!) I found him hilarious! He made Bill Clinton burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter once while he maintained a straight face. I could go on and on. But on April 26, the man with a good sense of humor had come to the end of the road and Russians lined the streets to see him off and many said good things about him. The kind words may very well be out of respect for the dead but all in all, it seems that history will not be too harsh on Boris Yeltsin. Meanwhile, I watched (on TV) in total amusement as President Bush played African drums at an unknown function. It was hardly as entertaining as Yeltsin's crazy dance but it had me in stitches! Made me wonder how he will leave and how history will judge him but I am sure nobody but me will remember April 26 as the day Boris was laid to rest and Bush played African drums!