Those of you who have been following the march of freedom will be aware that in the recent follow-up election in Ukraine that was called as a result of discrepancies between the election results and exit polls, a significant factor was allegations that the opposition candidate -- who emerged victorious in the follow-up election -- had been poisoned by a Russian-produced poison. A candidate whom the Bush government opposed won; then the Bush government claimed that the election that had just had been held was rigged, because exit polls contradicted the official results; finally, when a new election was called, the US-favored candidate on the second go emerged victorious, largely because of allegations that he had been poisoned by officials of the government he opposed.
Now however it emerges that politics were by no means absent from the way in which these conclusions about poisoning were reached and conveyed to the public. As we learn from a Washington Post story, it was American doctors who came up with the diagnosis of dioxin poisoning, although that fact was hidden from Ukranian voters "so as not to influence the elections".
That Yushchenko was poisoned was a big story in the first few days after the elections. His face, previously that of a movie actor, was massively disfigured, allegedly by exposure to huge amounts of dioxin after a dinner with Ukranian intelligence officials. Yushchenko went to an Austrian clinic, and though his Austrian doctors were initially perplexed, finally they hit upon this diagnosis: dioxin poisoning, most likely from a biological agent produced by the Russians.
While that was the story presented in the corporate media, I ran across a story in Counterpunch according to which Yushchenko's condition could be less sensationally explained:
Many outside observers believe the assassination plot story precisely because of its geographical context: the former Soviet Union. Few in America could imagine a candidate risking attempted murder of his opponent in the run-up to a U.S. election, but after all, this is a former
Soviet country. The Ukrainian government--with the whole world watching--was willing to risk assassinating a high-profile political figure weeks before polling day, or so it seems. Common sense should be the first indicator that the Yushchenko campaign has concocted a tall tale. Yet, even supposing a diabolical government plot to murder Yushchenko were plausible, other factors call the poisoning version of events into question. Most important is the fact that Yushchenko has a long, documented history of serious illnesses, and his latest ailment could well be just the latest installment.
Yushchenko's medical records show that from 1994 to 2004 he had the following diseases: chronic gastritis, chronic cholecystitis, chronic colitis, chronic gastroduodenitis, infection of the bowels, and Type II diabetes. According to medical experts, this plethora of intestinal problems would have required the patient to adhere to a strict diet, but Yushchenko had a habit of falling off his dietary wagon with unfortunate effects. In September 1996, after a birthday party at which he ate and drank heavily, Yushchenko complained of pains in his right side and a burning mouth. The diagnosis: chronic cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder). Yushchenko's most recent complaints--nausea, vomiting, headaches, stomach and intestinal pains--indicated he had probably violated his prescribed meal plan yet again.
Few seem to remember that, back in September this year, the clinic that treated Yushchenko (Rudolfinerhaus Clinic in Vienna, Austria, which now publicly supports the dioxin story) labeled the poison rumors "fallacious," diagnosing Yushchenko with severe pancreatitis, severe intestinal ulcers, gastritis, proctitis, peripheral paresis and a viral skin condition. The core diagnosis, pancreatitis (decomposition of the pancreatic gland tissue), is caused by alcohol--particularly in "binge drinking"--65-75% of the time, and the items Yushchenko consumed before his September illness included crabs, watermelon, sushi--and cognac. In a country where hospitality involves endless toasts, Yushchenko's hosts may have "poisoned" him with nothing more than a liter of Ukrainian spirits...
Well, now it emerges that it was not actually doctors at the Rudolfinerhaus clinic that produced the diagnosis of dioxin poisoning, but American doctors. But this fact was kept secret, "because U.S. officials and the doctors did not want to appear to interfere in the political drama of the Ukrainian elections."
Secret US Team Helped Find Dioxin Poisoning