A few unpleasant truths about the late Polish president [View All]

From the LA Times, with highlights and commentary provided by the ZW Times.

Poland President Kaczynski was a battler

Lech Kaczynski, who died Saturday in a plane crash in Russia, was a fervent Catholic who battled communism during the Cold War and matured into a staunchly conservative politician.

Kaczynski and his identical twin, Jaroslaw, rose to the top of Polish politics in 2005 when their Law and Justice Party swept to power. With Lech as president and his brother as prime minister, the snowy-haired siblings with boyish faces led their country to the right. (kind of like a pair of Polish Newt Gingriches)

Despite Poland's membership in the European Union, Lech Kaczynski was adamant that Warsaw not become entangled in continental politics and bureaucracy. His close alliance with the United States agitated European leaders, especially during the George W. Bush administration, which was deeply unpopular in much of Europe.

At home, Kaczynski, who was mayor of Warsaw before becoming president, sought to expose former communists and cleanse what he and his brother regarded as pervasive liberalism. He took a hard line against homosexuality and often assailed salacious magazines and TV shows.

His critics regarded him as a politically dangerous mix of Polish nationalism and religious conservatism. But for many Poles, remembering his courageous stand with Solidarity leader Lech Walesa and others in the movement that challenged Poland's communist regime, Kaczynski was a touchstone of the post-World War II era.

More here:
http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-fg-kaczynski-obit11-2010apr11,0,7708093.story