Well, and therein lies the problem - he played his role in the White House coup, and that was perhaps the thing that messed up Russia most for years to come. His handling of it did more damage to Russian politics than anything since. By putting it down violently and forcing a constitution that has made every branch of government except the executive irrelevant, he paved the way for Putin & co. The current elections are just another reminder of the fact that parliamentary politics only matter as far as "sending a signal" to the president, or foretelling future support. But the only office in the land that actually matters is the president's, and we have Yeltsin to thank for that.
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There are only forty people in the world and five of them are hamburgers.
-Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart)
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