Wow. A powerful, and uncomfortably plausible story.
I'd be the last person to say all our presidents in the USA were wonderful, but so far we've been spared bloody monsters like Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Pol Pot, etc. While it's easy to get complacent and think of those sort as being only possible elsewhere, there's really no rule that prevents it.
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I'm not sure i would have liked it as much reading it myself. The "rhythm and repetition" appeal more easily to the ear than when reading, at least to me.