Two greatest mysteries of the 20th Century:
(1)WTF did Bill Clinton do behind the "Iron Curtain" for almost 2 years?
(2) Why did George Bush I throw in the towel in 1992, instead of taking down Bill? George I after all, had been head of the CIA. It's not really credible that I know more about Bill'd mis- and malfeasance than he, now is it?
As far as Joe McCarthy goes, subject done to a turn two weeks ago on this site: this would be a repeat post.
2 years behind the Iron Curtain or several visits over 2 year period?
Do you have a source I can quote so I don’t look like an idiot if I repeat this assertion.
Bush I let himself be setup by the Dem Congress who manipulated him into agreeing to a tax increase after he famously told the nation "Read my lips, no new taxes!" (In retrospect, I believe that his Texas accent was misunderstood and what he actually said was "no new taxis". LOL!).
With respect to his CIA thing, I believe that there are a couple of reasons he may not have gone 'mano a mano' with Clinton. One, the information may have been classified and he may not have been able to reveal it. Two, I believe that Bush I, much like his sons Jorge and Jeb, is an inherently nice guy who was unwilling to climb into that particular gutter.
Your question #1 is an excellent point that has NEVER (to the best of my recollection), ever been explored or explained. Until/unless we ever get access to the KGB records (I'm not holding my breath on that!), I don't believe that we will ever have this question answered.