In a new oral history of Bill Clinton's time as US president that was released yesterday, it was revealed that in 1995, the Secret Service had to pick up Boris Yeltsin, shit-faced drunk and wandering outside the front gates of the White House in nothing but his underwear trying to hail a cab, because apparently he really wanted pizza.

From the Times Online:

The encounter and near international incident involving the former Russian President was revealed yesterday in a new oral history of Bill Clinton’s presidency, based on 79 taped interviews between Mr Clinton and the historian Taylor Branch during late-night visits to the White House.

The taped conversations took place between 1993 and 2001 — the year Mr Clinton left office — and were the former President's idea, because he wanted an intimate, behind-the-scenes perspective on his White House years as they were happening.

Mr Clinton also confided that his affair with Monica Lewinsky occurred when he felt sorry for himself and that “I cracked; I just cracked” under the pressure of personal and political setbacks, including the death of his mother and the loss of Congress to the Republicans in 1994.

Thanks to Delsyd for the link.