Today fate finally caught up with Boris Yeltsin. From all the obituaries and opinions he seems to have been an unlikely man to have earned this place in history. And yet as we have seen since 9/11, a single day and act can define a man thereafter.
And so Mr Yeltsin's moment on the tank did so for him. But he did turn out to be more than just the sum of that day defying the Bolsheviks' last gasp.
And this brings me to the most interesting thing from the various obits and stories on radio and TV. He seems to be credited with bringing and end to the Soviet Union more than any other. Gorbachev gets a mention for opening the door, but Yeltsin seems to be the one to have actually brought and end to the Communist Party, the Cold War, and let the former Soviet satellites go free.
Perhaps memories are faulty. Perhaps folks are just being generous in remembering the dead. Most certainly he was a character with his share of flaws, but he did make an enormous difference in history.
So where is the mention of Ronald Reagan? Aren't the Republicans always bleating about he did all these things single handed.
Opps another GOP myth up in smoke.
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