The 50-year-old former prime minister and national bank chief was sworn in as Ukraine's third president since the collapse of the Soviet Union 13 years ago, capping a bitter but joyous campaign for office and for democracy that erupted in November when the outgoing regime of Leonid Kuchma tried to steal the presidential election. In scenes reminiscent of the popular ferment of 1989 that ended the Kremlin's rule over half of Europe, Yushchenko Sunday addressed more than 100,000 supporters who braved subzero temperatures in Kiev's central square to mark the birth of a new era. "This is a victory of freedom over tyranny, of law over lawlessness," Yushchenko declared.
From a Salon article "Fresh Start to Freedom" written after the Orange Revolution. The article is no different than the other articles written soon after the Orange Revolution, overly optimistic about the Yushchenko presidency.
Now we come the end of his presidency and he has decided to spend his final months in office attempting to alter the gas agreement between Russia and Ukraine. Actually, his spent the entire year trying to to do this. And his threatening to dissolve the Rada if within 100 days a "new wording" in the constitution is not adopted. In other words the president has decided to be an annoying, but not very effective road bock. He won't get anything accomplished, because his a lame duck president with less than 5% voter approval and his going to be humiliated in the first round of the presidential election next month.
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