Absolutely Skybird. This picture will speak more words between Borgachev and Reagan then we will ever know. If there were not genuine respect and admiration of Reagan by Gorbachev he would not have made the trip to the funeral. I truly believe we will never know what really was said behind closed doors. Looking at this picture there is mutual respect between the two and knowing Mr Reagan via living through his presidency and reading book after book about him, he would have reciprocated same if Gorgachev had passed away. Both this thread and the other concerning Reagan's participation with the wall become silent, specifically for me, when I saw this picture. More went on behind the scene then we are told. It takes more than two meetings to gain friendship, respect and admiration.

That's not exactly how I meant it, but well, life moves on... :DL

I was agreeing with your last sentence.:DL My point is there was a deeper understanding between these two that we can only begin to understand how deep it was.

And it was that understanding between two people, not just Gorbachev, not just Reagan, that helped bring down the wall. :yeah:

I don't mean to be condescending. But I stand by my statement, communism cannot be maintained over the long term by anything other than a totalitarian state. If you want a system where people are told they cannot improve their lives by hard work and ambition, a system that does not allow rewards but rather takes personal output and spreads it across the population without regard to merit, it will have to be forced on them. That's why the USSR collapsed.

And Reagan as the leader of the US shaped policies that expedited that process. Disagree? That's your right, but tell me, what if Reagan had done the opposite? What if he had sent the Soviets monetary aid and assurred them that cracking down on the Poles and Czechs and East Germans was a-ok with the US? Think that may have had an effect on those people hopping up and down on the wall 20 years ago? :)

Cuba? Are you serious? They have been under the whim of a single man all my life. Maybe that's why they cannot feed their people without importing 70% of their food. Cuba...they are moving toward democracy and capitalism as well.

China is in transition. Yes, the Chinese Politburo are being naive if they think the Chinese people will tolerate being ruled by a police state govt for long. The day of the fall of the Chinese "Berlin wall" is coming.

I think that's Reagan's coffin.

Gorby makes his move.

http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/ap_RE...040611_ssh.jpg

What? :)

Good thinking OTH. Maybe there is hope. As for the crack on Gorby making his move...:nope:

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c..._Gorbachev.jpg

He was training is mentor:haha:

Jezus, they make a new Obama parody every day, aren't they?:o

I actually saw a Gorby speech in person, man that was a loooong time ago. My Russian professors weren't to fond of him, but he wasn't as bad a Brezhnev of as goofy as Khrushchev:haha:.

http://www.npr.org/news/specials/cro...shchev_140.jpg

headbutt!
http://img.timeinc.net/time/photoess...achev_1231.jpg

putin says "god I hope that spot doesn't rub off on me."

The same people who did all those Bush morphs back in the day.

You capitalist pigs!!

Heheh. I remember editorial cartoonists had a field day with Gorby's reputation as a smoothie back then. :)

http://pyxis.homestead.com/Gorby.jpg

Sad it may be, but you're probably right:D:O: