If only
American voters have a well-earned reputation for not electing bald leaders. With the exceptions of Ford and Eisenhower, every recent US president has had a full head of hair. Even traditionally marginalized groups like Mormons (Mitt Romney), women (Hillary Clinton), and idiots (Sarah Palin/John Kerry) now have a better chance to make it to the White House than the follically challenged.
The same rule of thumb does not hold true in Russia. Unlike the US, the Soviet Union was led by a series of bald men, including Lenin, Khrushchev, and Gorbachev. In fact, there is a tradition going back almost two-hundred years of each change of power in the Kremlin involving a switch from a bald man to a man with hair (scroll down to see portraits).
Russia, of course, deserves props for not judging its leaders by their hairlines. But this tradition does not bode well for the country’s immediate future. Unless Dmitri Medvedev’s brown locks start falling out within the next two years, he will be left scratching his hairy head while a certain bald man takes his place. Too bad for Russia there is no such thing as anti-Rogaine.
The same rule of thumb does not hold true in Russia. Unlike the US, the Soviet Union was led by a series of bald men, including Lenin, Khrushchev, and Gorbachev. In fact, there is a tradition going back almost two-hundred years of each change of power in the Kremlin involving a switch from a bald man to a man with hair (scroll down to see portraits).
Russia, of course, deserves props for not judging its leaders by their hairlines. But this tradition does not bode well for the country’s immediate future. Unless Dmitri Medvedev’s brown locks start falling out within the next two years, he will be left scratching his hairy head while a certain bald man takes his place. Too bad for Russia there is no such thing as anti-Rogaine.
