Quote:
Originally Posted by nightfighter
They were scared #^&#^&#^&#^& of Reagan, Jeff! They knew he had the balls to do whatever the situation called for. And they also knew he hated what they stoud for, pre-Gorbachov
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The Soviets weren't scared of Reagan, they were scared of their own people as they saw communism falling apart.
Most of Reagan's tough talk was to appease Republicans here in the states. While Reagan was sabre rattling on the ABC nightly news he was working with Gorbachev to compromise on INF and START...
Remember, as much as Reagan hated communism he hated nuclear weapons more...remarking "totally irrational, totally inhumane, good for nothing but killing, possibly destructive of life on earth and civilization."
People say Reagan couldn't get the GOP nomination today but I think that's crazy. He'd simply trot out the same story he told for 40 years which inspires and makes people feel good about their country, then quietly work behind the scenes to get the best deal he thought he could.
That's the Reagan legacy people should remember and respect.
-spence