And then, within a few short years, the world as it was ceased to be. Now, make no mistake: This change did not come from any one nation. The Cold War reached a conclusion because of the actions of many nations over many years, and because the people of Russia and Eastern Europe stood up and decided that its end would be peaceful.
That from President Obama in his speech to economic students in Moscow yesterday.
We’re sure Vietnam War veterans and especially the souls of the 50,000 plus who gave their lives in a War (like it or not) that was ostensibly about containing/stopping the imperialist intentions of communism would love to hear their efforts denigrated in this fashion. And this goes as well for this country’s Cold Warriors, like our older brothers, who served in this country’s submarine force and in the 82nd Airborne Division and who stood in opposition, primarily to the threat of the Soviets.
Yes, we did have allies, some stalwart, some feckless and we realize we weren't "alone" per se but Soviet domination of the rest of Europe would have been fait accompli without this country’s resolute stand against communism whether a Democrat or Republican was in the Oval office
Then again, and before we work ourselves into too much of a lather, these words should really come as no surprise as they are uttered by the same man who effectively legitimized the mullah-cracy of Iran with his non-response to the situation there. And it is this same man who also ignores the Honduran constitution’s 2x4 upside his head and decides instead to side with the International Bad Actors Club (Western Hemisphere Chapter) with respect to that country’s struggle to maintain its democratic ideals and legitimacy.
Time to come home, sir.
P.S. It's instances like this that render completely illogical and baseless the notion that Republicans and the conservative movement as a whole needs to just "move on" from and "get over" Reagan.
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2 comments:
It seems to me you are agreeing with the president that we did not stand alone. And if the president had said (falsely) that the US did stand alone, what kind of message would that send to the many brave people of Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and others, as well as inside the former Soviet Union itself, who risked their lives to topple their former governments, and who are now leading citizens of countries that are important allies of ours?
Joe,
Thanks for stopping by.
I am not agreeing with the President. Because no single country bore nearly as much responsibility during the Cold War as America, the President's narrow "any one nation" statement seemed self-serving given the context.
Were there freedom fighters inside Russia and the Eastern Bloc? Absolutely. And it was those very freedom fighters like Lech Walesa and Natan Sharansky that credited the United States and the words and deeds of Ronald Reagan and others in this country for keeping the hope of freedom alive within the movement.
Freedom was not coming to those people without this country. And if it did, it would've been delayed many, many years.
Slightly off-topic: What do you think of the "You (Russia) deal with Iran's nukes and we'll ditch the eastern Europe missile shield" deal that the President has appeared to broker?
Full disclosure: I'm torn 50/50 on it, presently.
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