Posted on 06/06/2004 11:56:30 AM PDT by freedom44
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev recalls the many times he met with Ronald Reagan, who died Saturday in California, and how they formed a friendship that altered world history. Despite former President Reagan's tough anti-Soviet views, he and Mr. Gorbachev came to like and respect each other.
Yet, despite this, he forged a close working relationship with former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who took power soon after Mr. Reagan's second term started in 1985.
Together, the two men initiated a dialogue that changed world history.
The former Soviet leader praised Mr. Reagan in an interview on Echo of Moscow radio station. "Ronald Reagan was a great president," he said, "with whom the Soviet leadership was able to launch a very difficult, but important dialogue."
Mr. Gorbachev says, despite disagreements between the two countries at the time, Mr. Reagan was a statesman, who displayed foresight and determination to meet the Soviet Union halfway. As a result, Mr. Gorbachev says, the two countries started cutting their nuclear weapons stockpiles, halting the nuclear arms race, and normalizing relations.
The former Soviet leader says Mr. Reagan was willing to take bold steps, something he said a different American president might not have been able to do at the time.
The two leaders are credited with starting a process that ultimately led to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Soviet communism.
Yeah, Mik. He was a great president. He punked your whole control freak dream, didn't he?
Go easy on Mik... Ronnie found some 'saving graces' in the old birthmarked battlehorse.
That mistake cost Gorbachev his job and the Soviet Union its life.
You know Mik became an environmentalist after his job fell through... a convenient vehicle for the toxic cargo of socialist/communist world domination.
Can you think of any present day domestic politicians that fit the same mold as Gorbachev?
Reading this, you would think they were full and equal partners in the project of destroying the Soviet tyranny, rather than one attacking it at it's foundations and the other one doing everything to prop it up and save it!
Al Gore, but he doesn't really fit. Who, then?
Why doesn't he fit in YHO?
As for the rest of the domestic Gorbachev philosophy lovers, who has shown to be a convincing factor to this type of political promotion domestically?
You don't see a true political agenda to promote such?...
Steps taken by Ronald Reagan alone! The two leaders are credited with starting a process that ultimately led to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Soviet communism.
The "two" leaders are credited by the true promoters of a socialist government.
Free enterpriser's and most of Americans understand that Ronald Reagan single handedly brought on the fall of the USSR and reunited the family members kept apart by the "Iron Curtain" and the Berlin Wall.
How true. If Gorbachev really didn't want the Berlin wall, he would have taken it down a lot sooner.
Gorbachev is still communist swine and gives speeches for leftist groups.
so true. People have forgotten that the USSR was a master of "me too" propaganda. Gorbachev was the response to Reagan. The USA has a charming leader so we will have a charming leader to wow the europeans.
Their president leads the Reagan Revolution, ours will lead a revolution of opening up. It will be opening without actually opening. The problem was that he lost control and his rivals delivered on what was supposed to be empty promises.
Democrats use Gobachev as a concealer of Reagans leadership, just as the USSR intended.
Do we honor Reagan's memory by attacking a man he considered to be a friend?
What's interesting to me is that if you look at the news media, they had the exact same view of Reagan that Gorbachev held. Same with Bush. They could never understand how good and brilliant men (as they saw them) like Gorbachev and Gore could have their lunches eaten by dopes like Reagan and Bush. They'll never learn.
Alas, I agree.
You mean through conviction to do so and not force brought upon the Soviet Union by financial starvation, thanks to Ronald Reagan?
good point.
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