George Person: "Mr. Yeltsin was a man of courage"

Mr. Yeltsin was a man of courage - he rose to the highest level of his country and ushered in the era of Democratic reform.
 
One time I saw a report on Mr .Yeltsin . It showed him wading into raw smelly sewage in the basement of a dilapidated apartment building...ready to lead the charge in making the life of the common man better in Russia. To this day, I've never seen an American political counterpart do the same for his constituency..... It reminded me of President Lincoln surveying a battlefield hospital in the American Civil war, where the smell of dead and wounded Union soldiers was foul and oppressive and his rugged angelic expression never once winced under the siege, while maintaining presence of mind.
 
It's truly a shame that President Yeltsin wasn't in more rigorous shape to handle the rigors of the most dangerous and intriguing government in the world.....he connected with young people , he danced to their music, and he showed the continuity of spirit between the older and younger generations which is characteristic of Russian culture. He embodied the Russian soul , and is a Patriarch and statesmen of the Russian race.
 
What made Yeltsin great?! He was a man of hope. Let's not judge the leaders of our world too harshly. All we can ask them to do is try. And they never said or promised they would have the perfect algorithm to handle our daily problems......just as long as they try....the next generation may have to provide a new legion of followers to carry on the cause of a free society and lifting up the standard of living for the Russian nation as a whole....
 
George Person
Phoenix, Arizona

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