Winning the Battle May Cost Yeltsin the War
The biggest news to emerge after four weeks of parliamentary haggling
over the naming of a new prime minister was the surprising
transformation of Boris Berezovsky from an ardent supporter of
President Boris Yeltsin into a dangerous adversary. Berezovsky is known
for his uncanny ability to identify -- and cozy up to -- the prime source of political
power, and his defection suggests he feels Yeltsin's days are numbered. The rift
could widen quickly: For weeks Berezovsky has been expressing polite, muted
concern about Yeltsin's health. Now he may start saying what he knows from
years of intimate relations with Yeltsin's family and presidential chief of staff
Valentin Yumashev. The next thing to watch for are leaks in the
Berezovsky-controlled media -- which include Russia's biggest TV
network -- questioning the President's ability to rule, based on deep concerns
about Yeltsin's declining mental faculties.