THE Clinton administration is quietly praying that its chosen candidate fares better in tomorrow's Russian presidential election than Mr Shimon Peres did in the vote for Israel's prime ministership a fortnight ago.
As it did with Mr Peres, the White House has unabashedly supported President Yeltsin, tolerating his erratic behaviour and Moscow's brutal campaign in Chechnya, encouraging a $10 billion IMF credit and allowing him to bask in the glory of a nuclear non-proliferation summit earlier this year, attended by Mr Clinton and every other major Western leader.
Unless the worst comes to the very worst, a communist victory will probably have little direct impact on the US president election race.
Even the most ardent Republican foes of Mr Clinton admit the US has at most a marginal influence on events in Russia, which in any case is too weak to make much immediate mischief, even were Mr Gennady Zyuganov to win.
. The US Deputy Secretary of State, Mr Strobe Talbott, said last night the US "will do what is necessary to defend" American interests if Russia took an undemocratic turn after the presidential election.
