Bite the Bullet, Ukrainian MONICA!

Or vice versa. But it does not really matter. The government shouldered the UESU debts in return for Pavlo Lazarenko's former devotees developing a fancy for Batkivshchyna (Fatherland, a pro-presidential political group). This also has something to do with studying Monica. The charming Ms. Tymoshenko started by climbing up the ladder of the big-time economy on Lazarenko's powerful shoulders and later used his political carcass to get to the next rung. A very characteristic situation. Cherchez Monique!

The same motto seems true of Progressive Socialist Natalia Vitrenko, the outspoken opponent of exploitation who has finally concentrated on the number one enemy of progress, Socialist Oleksandr Moroz. At the latest PSPU convention she gave it to him with a passion.

By the way, all present noticed that she seemed to "veer off" her own "presidency," probably a veiled threat addressed to the Presidential Administration, which has obviously failed to fully appreciate the PSPU faction's national security coordinator, Mr. Razumkov, whose creative efforts resulted in the PSPU leader overtaking Leonid Kuchma in the popularity polls, for the obvious reason of  his making her the personification of the Red peril. The newspaper Fakty again carried "the best sociological estimates" that have already made one see what the big picture is all about: candidate Vitrenko with her superior ratings beats candidate Kuchma and the score is spectacular: 32:23. This should have got through to an outraged President that it is not always that one enjoys something first and loathes it afterward. More often than not the other way around. And the whole thing is actually make-believe, or else Comrade Natalia would be "eaten" by the information operatives.

Speaking of the Fakty, Andriy Derkach, son of the SBU chief must be constantly concerned about his old man's worries. He had hardly finished spreading another portion of bright ideas about "provocations" in the legislature's lobby (e.g., how would the masses have reacted to this sequel: Chornovil's newspaper Chas-Time carries an anti-Marchuk article and the next day we learn about the Rukh leader's death in a road accident) when Fakty, favoring Mr. Pinchuk, did its bit. And with such zeal that those who missed its meaning could get it using the editor's replays, reworking the theme of Chornovil hating to see the ex-KGB general as the next President and look what happened... But perhaps Derkach Jr., young and inexperienced, talked too much and let slip an SBU scheme? Grownup kids like him live a very intense life these days, guided by the motto "We'll do what our parents did not." A family contract? Anyway, take another one. Informed Verkhovna Rada sources says that Oleksandr Moroz was also to be on that tragic highway on April 8 on his way to Kharkiv, but at the very last moment he decided to fly so he would not have to get up 5 at a.m. The car set off without passengers in the morning and the driver was in no hurry, going at 60-70 km/h. This is what must have saved his life, because the controls suddenly all went out. Had the driver been doing 130-140 km/h in the usual early morning busy traffic, experts say it would have been hard to collect all the pieces. The experts will, of course, determine what exactly went wrong. But if worse had come to worst (God forbid!), what would the pro-Presidential newspaper have written? Probably something like there were Rukh, NDP, and Green people who wanted Marchuk and those who wanted Moroz, and would keep in the same vein; that what had happened played into Marchuk's hands, and all those kids with fat cats would rub their hands; they have been placed all over the information space, so much so there is no one to ask, hey, what about you? Perhaps you of all people are just waiting for your own chance to carry out some dirty scheme you thought up yourself. Perhaps you still remember the good old propaganda clichО: We must not wait for nature to do us a favor. We must get what we need ourselves. Incidentally, the first such road accident took place during the presidential campaign in the Crimea. Now we all know that more than one coincidence means it was no coincidence. One wonders today about the Ukrainian Monica hiding under the President's desk, holding a report on things pleasant: who is she? Is she one of those hacking out anti-Marchuk articles? Or those making the arrangements and then reading them?

The SDPU(u) Politburo resolved that the party must support Leonid Kuchma, so he not worry too much before the convention. Bending only one finger toward the NDP Political Executive Committee, Premier Pustovoitenko promptly came out with assurances that he will do his utmost to make Zlahoda move in the right direction. Meanwhile the government television channel shows US students who suddenly got disenchanted about their President, carrying the motto "Bite the bullet, Monica!"