I watched PBS American Experience about role of Reagan in the collapse of Communism in Russia. I was there until 1980 and in USA since 1980 and can tell for sure that role of Reagan is over exaggerated. In fact, President Carter did a lot in this direction. Dissident movement in the former Soviet Union was in full swing and emigration got a major boost, because of Carter. Economic and political problems were overwhelming and Communism deteriorated from inside, not because "Reagan told so and so...". I respect PBS, but the total picture about Reagan's role is a rosy postcard and glorifying this skillful politician, which simply got in the right place in the right time. If Carter had been reelected then, he would play the same cards and possibly even better.

You're right. Reagan was jawing at the sidelines as Gorbachev put in motion the events that allowed the destruction of the Iron Curtain. The Pope and the KGB played active and interesting roles, particularly in Romania where Ceaucescu was holding out.

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"I don't think we should be governing ourselves. What we need is a king, and every now and then if the king’s not doing a good job, we kill him." - George Carlin

Carter backed the mujahideen in Afghanistan which helped begin the defeat of the Soviets. Reagan went on to fund Osama bin Laden, once he was in power.

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Cost of War in Iraq Barack Is Beautiful

You're giving the dictator of a country credit for the collapse of his own system?

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"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams

Where have all the Conservatives Gone?

Absolutely. Look at the steps he took in the Soviet Union that allowed changes to occur. He didn't lift a finger to stop the rush of freedom in Eastern Europe. He actively (through the KGB & JPII) sabotaged Ceaucescu in Romania.

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"I don't think we should be governing ourselves. What we need is a king, and every now and then if the king’s not doing a good job, we kill him." - George Carlin

Whats ironic is that while Reagan didn't have as much to do with the fall of the USSR, his ideology and economic philosophy could very likely doom the US. Reagan style deficit spending and out of control, unregulated free market recklessness might demolish our system of government, allowing it to be replaced by whichever nations (China) can move in and "help" us the same way we helped Russia. A couple 1000 more points down in the dow and continued kindergarten bickering amongst partisan legislatures and the executive branch and we'll be 'tearing down our own wall' pretty soon. What a great legacy the GOP have created for us.

I guess its only right to vote for McCain in this instance so that another Melanoma headed leader could sink their own country.

He was attempting to save communism not destroy it. He failed at achieving that goal. How can you possibly say he is the cause? Or are you saying it was because he was a bad leader?

Communism failed because Reagan strained a system that was already built to fall. Marxism is not a workable economic policy.

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"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams

Where have all the Conservatives Gone?

What specifically did he try to do to save it? What did he do in Romania, Poland, East Germany to stop the wall coming down?

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"I don't think we should be governing ourselves. What we need is a king, and every now and then if the king’s not doing a good job, we kill him." - George Carlin

His whole idea on opening Russia up economically and diplomatically was to save the USSR and communism not destroy it. Do you honestly think the politburo would have elected him if he had run on "destroying the Soviet Communism Empire?" He was attempting to save communism not destroy it.

He didn't interfer because he wanted communism to die, he couldn't interfere because his country was completely in shambles in every sense of the word. What was he going to do use whatever few resources he had at his disposal to openly and aggressively send the Red Army into Europe? Do you honestly think a bankrupt Soviet Union who's entire economic system was in ruin was going to fight the whole world?

Was he going to nuke them? Of course not that makes even less sense. The man had no options his ideas died and communism died with him. The only credit he deserves was that he didn't cause the death of millions of Soviets who where armed with spit wads, but why would he due that? The man tried to save his country (the USSR) and the communist system and failed with both. That is not a success story.

He knew once it was all over the only chance he had to salvage his image in the history books was to let it go. Do you honestly think he wanted to go down in history as a man who was more aggressive then Hitler even though he knew he couldn't win the war?

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"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams

Where have all the Conservatives Gone?

Can't disagree with you there - they most certainly would not have. His base was more liberal than the usual hardline politburo core.

We're not going to be able to agree on this. I think he allowed it to happen intentionally, you feel he allowed it because he couldn't stop it. Neither of us can read his mind.

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"I don't think we should be governing ourselves. What we need is a king, and every now and then if the king’s not doing a good job, we kill him." - George Carlin