Viktor-ious!!

My attempt at a New York Post-style awful pun of a headline.

I have never had such high hopes or expectations for any politician anywhere, ever. (No Pressure, right?) Yushchenko has one hell of a battle on his hands. There's an entire societal order in need of an overhaul and a whole lot of inertia to overcome to do that.

Let's not underestimate what he has accomplished so far, however. He has rallied the will of the people behind him, he has won the seat of power from the powers that be in what was not only a bloodless, but indeed a democratic revolution, and he has the powers that be were nervously making concessions and looking to position themselves favorably in the new society of open competition.

I didn't intend for the Ukraine to become a central issue on this blog, but with the excitement of an emerging democracy, and my intended trip there this coming summer, I'll be watching closely for signs that the excitement and electricity of the Orange Revolution are indeed resulting in the emergence of a free and prosperous nation in the easternmost stretches of Europe. Here's to hoping that some of that Orange Spirit spills accross the northern border.