[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 38 (Wednesday, April 6, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3239-S3240]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           VIKTOR YUSHCHENKO

  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I wish to comment on the majority 
leader's remarks about Viktor Yushchenko, who will be addressing a 
joint meeting at 11 o'clock.
  Two weeks ago, I had the privilege, with the Democratic leader, of 
visiting with Mr. Yushchenko for an hour. We also were in Georgia, 
Iraq, Palestine, and Israel. We saw emerging democracies across the 
country.
  One of the most vivid impressions I had was after meeting with Mr. 
Yushchenko, we met with students in Ukraine. Senator Reid asked them 
how long before they expected results. These were the ones who Senator 
Frist described as being among the hundreds of thousands in November 
and December waiting outside in the bitter cold

[[Page S3240]]

causing this change. Some of the students said a year. Others disagreed 
and said 9 months.
  It seems to me one of the greatest dangers we have with these 
emerging democracies is reminding them that there is no such thing as 
an instant democracy in Ukraine or anywhere else. So I said to the 
students with respect: In the United States, it took us 12 years to 
write a constitution after the Declaration of Independence, and we had 
to lock the press out to do it. It took us 130 years to give women the 
right to vote. It took us 200 years before African Americans could vote 
in every part of our country.
  So in Iraq, in Georgia, in Ukraine, in emerging democracies, patience 
is important, and that is one of the examples we have.

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