From that glorious libertopia the liberventionists promised us:
- Ukraine’s “orange revolution” has lost its lustre, with President Viktor Yushchenko sacking his entire government after its own members accused one another of sleaze, cronyism and debilitating infighting.
His sudden decision came just eight months after he and his team came to office promising to stamp out the gross corruption which had bedevilled previous administrations. …
“We are witnessing a paradox. Many new faces have come to power but the face of power has not changed,” [Yushchenko] said, referring to the previous regime of the Soviet-era apparatchik Leonid Kuchma which was widely regarded as being riddled with cronyism and corruption. “We need to halt disappointment in society and make sure that the ideals [of the orange revolution] are not cast into doubt.”
Love that passive construction. Those new faces who “have come to power” – how’d they get there, buddy? That Yushie is quite the straight talker:
- Mr Yushchenko said he had ordered an investigation into allegations that several members of his outgoing government were corrupt. He added, enigmatically, that the accusations were “groundless but very strong” and deserved close scrutiny.
I can hear the disappointment skidding to a halt already.
Oh, and any news on that poisoning? That story dropped right off the edge of the blogosphere. Here’s the latest I can find, from Aug. 30:
- An investigation into the poisoning of Viktor Yushchenko, Ukraine’s president, is making progress, the Novosti-Ukraine news agency quoted Ukrainian National Security and Defense Secretary Petro Poroshenko as saying live on television Monday.
Poroshenko refused to divulge any details in the interests of investigation.
He won’t be releasing any more details, either, at least not in his official capacity. From the Independent article:
- Mr Poroshenko was the most high-profile figure to be accused of wrongdoing. Oleksandr Zinchenko, Mr Yushchenko’s chief-of staff and the architect of the orange revolution, resigned from the government on 3 September, accusing Mr Poroshenko, a confectionery millionaire, of using his post to enrich himself, help wealthy businessmen and generally “usurp power”. Mr Poroshenko denied the allegations and resigned before the government was sacked so as not, he said, to obstruct an inquiry.
So many inquiries, so little time! No need to rush that investigation into the alleged ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF THE CURRENT PRESIDENT. But, um, given that Yushchenko knew who did it, when, and where, there should be some indictments a year later, right?
And an ethical question: do pundits who hype the claims and promises of foreign political parties have any duty to pursue the story once the hot babes have gone home?