Just another worst-case-scenario. Remember how impossible it was for that glad-handed moron movie star to become POTUS? Not only did the worst happen, now way too many people think the worst POTUS in history was great. OOPS! I completely forgot about Bushy 2.
From what I’ve seen of Bachmann so far, I could imagine voting for her. But from everything I’ve seen of flighty religious-nutjob Palin, I wouldn’t vote for her even if the Dems ran the re-incarnation of Hitler.
As for Reagan, I’ll never forgive him for opening the backdoor of the White House to the religious Right, but I’m grateful that his plan to collapse the Soviet Union worked, even though it required a giant deficit to buy off the Dems so they’d approve the increased military spending the plan required.
IM: A lot of things had to do with the Soviet collapse, and I’m not saying any one thing did. Most significant is the fact that socialist economies are doomed to perpetual inefficiency that will keep them behind even a semi-free economy like ours.
But I was referring to an explicit U.S. plan to escalate the arms race to damage the USSR economy. Who cares if SDI was never practical, as long as the Russkis feared it might be. In the 20 years since I first heard this theory, I’ve seen enough evidence to believe it.
^ The Soviet Union was going to collapse regardless of what the U.S. did. The Russian economy started falling apart at the seams in the 70s. Gorbachev inadvertently accelerated things with Glasnost.
Our intelligence community (as usual) was either blind or making sure the intelligence they gathered supported what the Administration wanted to do: make defense contractors rich! So the USSR was presented as a far greater economic & military threat than they really were.
Of course, with Putin around, it’s like the Soviet Union never left!
RR spent the Soviets into bankruptcy but they were going to come apart at the seams without him on the stage. As good as their technology might have made them look powerful - and a lot of that was supported by their KGB’s espionage - Afghanistan and Poland were showing what England learned in WW2 - that imperialism was dying.
Omgomg: The Soviet Union would eventually have collapsed in any case, but sooner was better than later. The benefit to America was the elimination of a paranoid nuclear-armed adversary with the ability to destroy us. (Not to be confused with Iran which is a paranoid nuclear-armed adversary with the ability to seriously hurt us…so far.)
As for the Egyptian revolution, nobody knows what will happen, but in situtations like this, the most ideologically consistent usually win, and that means the Islamo-totalitarians. But I’d love to be wrong.
hillsmom over 13 years ago
Aruuuugh! Gag me with a spoon!!!!
autumnfire1957 over 13 years ago
You make head hurt inside
AdmNaismith over 13 years ago
Palin/Bachmann: In 2012, I’m With Stupid!
junco49 over 13 years ago
Just another worst-case-scenario. Remember how impossible it was for that glad-handed moron movie star to become POTUS? Not only did the worst happen, now way too many people think the worst POTUS in history was great. OOPS! I completely forgot about Bushy 2.
pschearer Premium Member over 13 years ago
From what I’ve seen of Bachmann so far, I could imagine voting for her. But from everything I’ve seen of flighty religious-nutjob Palin, I wouldn’t vote for her even if the Dems ran the re-incarnation of Hitler.
As for Reagan, I’ll never forgive him for opening the backdoor of the White House to the religious Right, but I’m grateful that his plan to collapse the Soviet Union worked, even though it required a giant deficit to buy off the Dems so they’d approve the increased military spending the plan required.
But then, some of you may disagree.
imrobert over 13 years ago
Hmm, didn’t the Soviet Union’s prolonged occupation of Afghanistan have something to do with the government’s fall?
pschearer Premium Member over 13 years ago
IM: A lot of things had to do with the Soviet collapse, and I’m not saying any one thing did. Most significant is the fact that socialist economies are doomed to perpetual inefficiency that will keep them behind even a semi-free economy like ours.
But I was referring to an explicit U.S. plan to escalate the arms race to damage the USSR economy. Who cares if SDI was never practical, as long as the Russkis feared it might be. In the 20 years since I first heard this theory, I’ve seen enough evidence to believe it.
Uncle Joe Premium Member over 13 years ago
^ The Soviet Union was going to collapse regardless of what the U.S. did. The Russian economy started falling apart at the seams in the 70s. Gorbachev inadvertently accelerated things with Glasnost.
Our intelligence community (as usual) was either blind or making sure the intelligence they gathered supported what the Administration wanted to do: make defense contractors rich! So the USSR was presented as a far greater economic & military threat than they really were.
Of course, with Putin around, it’s like the Soviet Union never left!
Iwa Iniki over 13 years ago
Please NOooooo!
omgomg over 13 years ago
The Soviet Union Collapse had nothing to do with RR. The
Soviet Union collapsed after RR left office. Just as in Egypt
the people decided on their own that the goverment had to
be replaced. But, I’m curious, pschearer, how did the Am-
erican people benefit from either of these revolutions ??
Tomyris over 13 years ago
I’m with Iwa Iniki on this one.
DrChiBob over 13 years ago
RR spent the Soviets into bankruptcy but they were going to come apart at the seams without him on the stage. As good as their technology might have made them look powerful - and a lot of that was supported by their KGB’s espionage - Afghanistan and Poland were showing what England learned in WW2 - that imperialism was dying.
pschearer Premium Member over 13 years ago
Omgomg: The Soviet Union would eventually have collapsed in any case, but sooner was better than later. The benefit to America was the elimination of a paranoid nuclear-armed adversary with the ability to destroy us. (Not to be confused with Iran which is a paranoid nuclear-armed adversary with the ability to seriously hurt us…so far.)
As for the Egyptian revolution, nobody knows what will happen, but in situtations like this, the most ideologically consistent usually win, and that means the Islamo-totalitarians. But I’d love to be wrong.