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Sadat had always despised the Russians, partly because Egypt frequently had to grovel for its arms shipments and partly because of the stony way they treated him personally. "They are crude, tasteless people," Sadat says. In 1972 he decided to upbraid them with a bit of theater. He put on his Commander in Chiefs uniform, complete with medals and sashes, and summoned the chief Soviet adviser. "Who do you see sitting in front of you?" Sadat asked. When the Russian expressed bafflement, Sadat screamed at him: "I am Field Marshal Joseph Stalin, that's who! If those spare parts don't get here immediately, I am going to deal with you the way Stalin did." Shortly afterward, Sadat sent the Soviets to his own version of Siberia—back to Russia.
Earthy and gracious, Sadat finds the Europeans too cold and sophisticated, and much prefers Americans because of their egalitarian ways. "I like the way Americans put their feet up on the desk," he says. Sadat is a sensitive man who for years felt that Westerners disliked Arabs because of their dark skin. Says a member of the Egyptian Parliament: "Sadat has few fanaticisms. He's not against Jews, or against women. Maybe it's because of his own dark skin."
With his people and his army behind him, Sadat today has concentrated more power in his hands than Nasser ever had. Yet the villager who became a ruler feels alone in power. The threat of death does not depress him, he says, even though he has become the No. 1 villain to Arab rejectionists. "Neither the Palestinians nor Gaddafi," he said, "can deprive me of one hour of my life, if God doesn't accept it." At the Barrages, Sadat recalled a book about Abraham Lincoln that he had read as a boy. "Lincoln was a villager, too," he said, "and he moved alone." Sadat became excited about the comparison as he talked about Lincoln's humble beginnings. His deep voice increased in strength as the actor rose to the part. "To this day," he said, "I still remember a movie I saw about Lincoln. The last scene showed him getting on the train alone to go to Washington. He put a black shawl over his shoulders—just the way our villagers do." He dropped his voice and said slowly, "It is simplicity, but it is glory." Sadat's journey to Jerusalem was simple too—and it held the promise of glory.