Obama - Best US President for years

[Pappa]

Bill was more entertaining.

Bill was also an excellent statesman.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Actually, it was the massive drop in the price of crude oil that did for the Russian economy.

It would have been far cheaper for Russia to counter star wars, than for the US to produce it.
For every bit of star wars tech, there was a counter measure costing a tiny fraction. It never was a runner. Just a Reagan fantasy, and the Russians knew it perfectly well.

Gorbachov gets all the credit for the change in Russia, in my book. Man of the century as far as I'm concerned.

You skipped the 600-ship Navy, and the proportional increase in all other services. The sum total was beyond the USSR's resources, especially with the crude oil price dip you mentioned.

[Ian]

Gorbachov gets all the credit for the change in Russia, in my book. Man of the century as far as I'm concerned.

Perhaps, but don't tell that to the Russians. By the time he left office nearly all of them hated his guts.

[mistermack]

Gorbachov gets all the credit for the change in Russia, in my book. Man of the century as far as I'm concerned.

Perhaps, but don't tell that to the Russians. By the time he left office nearly all of them hated his guts.

They're free to go back to how it was, if they want. Nobody's stopping them.

It was Boris Yeltzin that was the real disaster. He didn't have a fuckin clue.

[Svartalf]

Gorbachov gets all the credit for the change in Russia, in my book. Man of the century as far as I'm concerned.

Perhaps, but don't tell that to the Russians. By the time he left office nearly all of them hated his guts.

His Nobel Peace Prize is one of the less contestable ones of the last 2 or 3 decades

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I rather liked Gorbachev better than Reagan.

[Svartalf]

Speak about taking the easy path.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Speak about taking the easy path.

Reagan was the first of three consecutive Republican puppet presidents. So "anybody else" is a valid choice.

[Svartalf]

Bush Sr was a puppet? I thought he had the stature of a statesman, albeit a thoroughly unpleasant one.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Bush Sr was a puppet? I thought he had the stature of a statesman, albeit a thoroughly unpleasant one.

The advent of Reagan brought in the Age of the Managed Presidents for the GOP. Since then they haven't had one that wasn't kowtowing to the rich first and foremost. 41 got into office on Reagan's coattails and with the understanding that he'd continue favoring the money men before the country.

[Tero]

41 did some of the talks with Gorbachev.

Reagan was more of a where do I sign kind of guy.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

41 did some of the talks with Gorbachev.

Reagan was more of a where do I sign kind of guy.

Reagan was way into the early stages of ALZ by '86, Bush was doing some of the heavy lifting by then.

[mistermack]

41 did some of the talks with Gorbachev.

Reagan was more of a where do I sign kind of guy.

Reagan was way into the early stages of ALZ by '86, Bush was doing some of the heavy lifting by then.

The talks with Gorbachov didn't take any brains. He was making an offer only a moron could refuse.
And apparently, they nearly did refuse.

Every US President should have a touch of Alzheimers.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

41 did some of the talks with Gorbachev.

Reagan was more of a where do I sign kind of guy.

Reagan was way into the early stages of ALZ by '86, Bush was doing some of the heavy lifting by then.

The talks with Gorbachov didn't take any brains. He was making an offer only a moron could refuse.
And apparently, they nearly did refuse.

Every US President should have a touch of Alzheimers.

The fact that they nearly did refuse should show you how crazy he was.

[mistermack]

The fact that they nearly did refuse should show you how crazy he was.

I'm no authority on the subject, I'm just regurgitating what I remember.
I seem to remember that Reagan's "expert" advisers were aghast at what he shook hands on with Gorbachev, suspecting a trick.
You have to give Reagan credit for recognisng that Gorbachov was sincere, and that there was a historic oportunity.
Maybe the slight onset of Alzheimers dulled his sceptical nature. Whatever, he got it right.