[SkyPilot]

Well, he lived a long time for his lifestyle.

The man played a great role in history. He was a serious alcoholic - I don't know if he ever went through recovery or not. I hope he at least tried to become sober.

During his first visit to America years ago, (he had some government position in old Soviet structure) Yeltsin got so drunk that the Washington DC cops had to pull him out of a public fountain. He was standing in the water, drunk out of his mind, and holding a bouquet of flowers.

[SkyPilot]

That evening, back in the presidential hotel suite, Secretary Christopher, national security adviser Tony Lake and I lamented the prospect of having to conduct high-stakes diplomacy under the conditions we'd witnessed during the day. Clinton told us to relax. "I've seen a little of this problem in my time," he said, referring to his experience growing up with an alcoholic stepfather. "At least Yeltsin's not a mean drunk." ........As Yeltsin emerged from the plane at Andrews Air Force Base and made his way down the mobile stairs, he was gripping the railing and concentrating on each step. His handlers did their best to block the view of the cameras recording his descent. He slipped on the last step and had to grab his wife's arm. That night at Blair House, Yeltsin was roaring drunk, lurching from room to room in his undershorts. At one point, he stumbled downstairs and accosted a Secret Service agent, who managed to persuade him to go back upstairs and return to the care of his own bodyguards. Yeltsin reappeared briefly on the landing, demanding, "Pizza! Pizza!"

[listenhillary]

I totally missed that story.

[fhayek]

He may have been a drunk, but a wise man once said: “better to have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.”