I get lots of postings here at Orange Ukraine which resemble this one:

Ukrainians must be careful not to put Yushchenko on a pedestal. Believe in him yes, but not think of him as some sort of saviour. He's only human. I'm afraid many Ukrainians are looking to him to save them but it's the people themselves who must work very hard at turning Ukraina around for the better. I pray that Yushchenko and the common people will have the strength. -- Roma Boiko

And occasionally get ones that resemble this one, only with the opposition connotations: that Yushchenko is just as corrupt as all the rest.

People are excited about events, not a perceived savior

Ok, so Roma's posting needed to be posted, and she spoke clearly. Yushchenko is human and he therefore has flaws, no one should think he can solve all of Ukraine's problems himself. But the correct rider to that thought is that Ukrainians must therefore help him to solve Ukraine's problems, not that they should just lower their expectations. Now, when citizens are filled with a reforming spirit and still glowing with victory they should not dispense with that feeling of optimism, but translate it into action. Prayer should not be a surrogate for action.

Furthermore, I don't think it was the prospect of having someone make everything better for them that has so many people hopeful. People are excited about Yushchenko because he was an opposition deputy they were able to bring to power by democratic vote despite smear campaign, fraud, and threat of violence. As far as I'm concerned, this is a perfectly legitimate reason to be giddy.

He's not sinless, but he's got a few other superhero characteristics

One of the key problems with the Yushchenko campaign is that he's got no sidekick to remind us how tough he is. Why did Batman need Robin? Because if it weren't for Robin, we wouldn't have anyone to say: "Holy hyacinths, Batman! The dioxin concoction Poison Ivy is using could kill you in a second!" We wouldn't know how tough Batman is, because he would be too tough to mention it himself, and there would be no one else around to do so. Without a sidekick, Yushchenko has no one to give us regular reminders that he has endured an amazing amount of punishment during this election. [note: Yuliya Tymoshenko doesn't fit the mould because she's as tough as Yushchenko.]

We've all probably heard by now that Yushchenko was poisoned and that during the attempt to kill him he was given the second-largest non-lethal dose of dioxin in history. What a good sidekick would remind us about is that this means the man has become ugly, pockmarked, and greenish for having the audacity to run against Yanukovych.

A sidekick would tell us his wife will see that face when she kisses him goodnight for years or even the rest of their lives. He will tell us that a physically active and healthy outdoorsman lost years of his life and suffered the curtailment of the physical exercise he enjoys.

Yushchenko's good looks were a great asset, especially considering his poor rhetorical ability. If a jealous rival actress were to burn up Nicole Kidman's face with acid, what kind of horror would this inspire in us? She would still have her acting ability, as Yushchenko has his political strengths, but you could at least expect people to be respectful regardless of their opinion of her. Yushchenko has gotten nothing from pro-Yanukovych forces but ridicule, even of the horrific and scarifying wrong done to him.

What kind of commitment to compromise and the rule of law would you need to have to come to a reform agreement with those who mocked you for the wrongs done to you and even those who probably tried to kill you multiple times?

The sidekick would also be able to tell us about the attempt to blow Yushchenko up, run him off the road, and more. He could reel off less well known incidents, too. For example, he could tell how, last year, Yushchenko's eldest son got in a taxi in Kyiv that got into an accident that put him in a coma. Yushchenko himself doesn't bring up this event, because the event was officially called an accident and no evidence proves it was planned. But how unlucky can the Yushchenko family really be in an election year? And what strength would a father need to be able to see his son lying unconscious in the hospital and then refrain from accusations until such times as evidence comes to light. (Especially when he knows the Prosecutor General is tied to the men who would be the main suspects)?

Yushchenko is human, and also sinful; so are all the other people I respect. But I'd like to take time to say: "Holy murderous malefactors, Yushchenko! Those oligarchs pounded you harder than anybody since Gongadze. How are you still standing?"