Reagan is famous for ending . . .

And you know that HOW?

 

He never ended the cold war on his own, I'll agree with that, but when you say he never did anything, all I have to say to that is this sir, http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5hfYJsQAhl0

 

Sometimes a guy just has to know his limitations. After two failed wars in 10 years, you'd figure we'd know our limitations by now. What, do you really want another butt-kickin'?

 

I think for several reasons.

1. It was once part of Russia.

2. They have a big air and Navel base on it.

3. It has a high majority of Russians living there. He could have felt if the people voted to join Russia and their military bases are there, people would look on it differently than they would if Russia just took it over.

4. It's right next door. I don't think he felt the US or the West was going to want to start a war over it, right on their door steps. The American people are also sick of war and Europe wouldn't do anything without the U.S.

 

Also with the uprising in the country, it gave them a good reason to invade and say we went in to protect our bases and large Russian population.

 

Ronald Reagan didn't actually end the Cold War.

He happened to be standing there when the house of cards collapsed. Of course, in the American centric narrative, the Russians apparantly had nothing to do with the collapse of their own regieme.

If you really want to know what ended the Cold War,I can point to three things, only one of which has anything to do with Reagan. That was the US decision to accelerate the arms race and spend the Russians into the ground.

The others had to do with Russia's expensive and disasterous war in Afghanistan, something that American conservative have erased from their already short memories.

The last thing was the price of oil and the effect it had on the USSR's balance of payments.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/st...n-energy-war-104891.html?hp=pm_1#.UzCOdYXzuKU

If you want to know why the Cold War

 

What essentially happened is that Reagan did not subsidize the Soviet Union the way Nixon did. Nixon used below-market grain sales as part of the subsidies. The wheat from those "wheat sales" during 1972 never touched Soviet territory. The wheat was re-sold in the open market and the Soviet treasury pocketed the arbitrage. This had two effects: 1) putting American grain prices into orbit in time to help Nixon in the 1972 elections; and 2) giving the Soviet Union a huge subsidy. Another subsidy was SALT I, since it restrained the U.S. so that the Soviets didn't have to spend hard cash to keep up.

The system may have been failing but U.S. Presidents prior to Reagan propped it up.

 

'Articulate' and 'Reagan' is an oxymoron.

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Perhaps because it was deemed too costly, unrealistic, not guaranteed to work anyway and it doesn't exist? Of course you're free to prove me wrong.
http://www.coldwar.org/articles/80s/SDI-StarWars.asp
http://www.howstuffworks.com/star-wars-program.htm

 

Actually Reagan's nickname was "the Great Communicator" (link). You show a decided lack of knowledge of history. Think perhaps of to whom the term you used less the prefix "oxy" would apply.

 

Ah yes, an op-ed by a Reagan fanboy. Your personal attack, which you rapidly edited out, is noted.

 

I decided not to sink to the level of some of the posts here.

As far as the Op-Ed goes, the nickname was rather common during his Presidency. And by the way I'm no Reagan fan. I voted for him only in 1984. In 1980 I voted for Carter. Politically I'm a liberal Democrat. I couldn't stomach voting for the scandal-tinged Ferraro (sp) in the 1984 election.

 

Is the wall back up?

 

Just watched the video in the link you provided. You mean you can't even think of yourself so you have to get someone to hurl your insults? Pretty pathetic.

 

The threat of communism is ever present, It must be fought.

Reagan, Peace through Strength
Obama, Peace through lies

See the difference?

 

Thats false.

He forced their collapse, but the real people who brought it down where those behind the iron curtain, who heard reagans words.

 

LOL

Is this supposed to poignant?

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By wheezing out "Tear down this wall"...?

The Soviet Union was already collapsing. Reagan had nothing to do with it.

 

no, thats called reality.

Here let Ronnie explain it to you.

[video=youtube;VJGb_gg4Cuw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJGb_gg4Cuw[/video]

 

Choose your heroes more wisely. Reagan was a terrible President.

 

Yeah, so which of these self-proclaimed Marxist-Leninist states present the greatest threat-Cuba, Laos, Vietnam or China? (There are only four). You already fought three of them, and lost. That leaves China. You don't want to tangle with nuclear powered China, do you? Just the weak nations for mighty America.

 

I take it you never did the duck and cover drill?

 

You can't fight a war and win if you are saddled with so many restrictions. We were not saddled with them in WWII with Germany and Japan. Try and bomb our enemy today as we did back then all hell would break out. Hell look at the reaction we get from people today when just one guided missile hits it's target and a few innocent people get killed and you expect us to win wars under those restraints?

 

The biggest threat are commies inside America, not some foreign nation.

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No, actually he was pretty awesome, but youd have to be alive at the time to truely understand.

 

He was awesome, so much has been lost. I recall Excellence in Education, kicking dirty commies to the curb, and a nation that was both strong and proud by the time he left office...

 

You also need an open mind. If your only looking at things with a one sided view, than I can understand your comment. I don't know of any Liberal that thinks Reagan was any good. Most have no idea of what he really did and why.

 

Actually you had no restrictions in Vietnam and carpet-bombed Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos to your heart's content. Despite all your awesome technology you still managed to be defeated. And please, don't even think of mentioning nuclear weapons; you know very well America wouldn't dare to use them so close to another nuclear power-China.