Clinton’s a true Muzhik

This doesn’t mean that sex scandals don’t hit the seat of power in Russia. Last June, Russian President Boris Yeltsin fired Justice Minister Valentin Kovalev after a television station showed him in compromising positions with several women in a luxury sauna.

But such sexual affairs are generally taken here as “private affairs” of individuals. So Clinton is forgiven for the “extra-marital sexualrelationships” which he may or may not have kept with cabaret girl Geniffer Flowers, or former Askansas employee Paula Jones, or Monica Lewinsky.

Indeed, Clinton’s popualrity in Russia is attributed to the fact that Russian women think he is sexy and speak angrily about what American people are doing to its leader, opening so many “gates” such as “Paulagate,” “Monicagate,” “Sexgate” “Ovalgate,” “Zippergate”.

“They are digging too much,” said Ivanovna Petrovan, an elderly citizen.

“Even if it did happen, it should be regarded as a private matter” she said.

Russians interviewed after the Clinton scandal broke last week, suggested that if Clinton were the Russian President, an affair would probably increase his standing with the Russian people, proving his credentials as a real Muzhik, or macho man.

“We envy Americans. We only wish President Yeltsin had a love affair to be declared a symbol of his viriility and strongness,” said Vsevolod Marinov, a political analyst. “I would behappy to do all I can to help Yeltsin in cheating on his wife with whomever, in any way, during his working hours or in his spare time,” wrote liberal ideologue Valeria Novod Vorskkaya in prestigious daily Izvestia.

However, the most surprising thing about all this is that both the public and the press, completely ignore the legal aspect of the alleged Clinton sex affair. For example, the popular dialy Moskovsky Komsomolets wrote graphically about a semen-spattered skirt Lewinsky reportedly keeps as momento without even mentioning its significance to the case.

Liberal daily newspaper Segodnya wrote that the US media is using Clinton’s legal situation merely as an excuse to bring out the president’s dirty linen. “Today all of America is salivating over the lurid details of Clinton’s escapades. In reality, few people care if he obstructed justice by telling Monica to deny everything.”

The reaction of Pravada, the Communist mouthpiece, to the Clinton crisis, was very curt. It said, “To turn publicopinion in his favour, Bill Clinton will now need all his political skill and courage.”