[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Reagan didn't send stingers to the Muj. It was a congressman from Texas, Charlie Wilson, and he did it on his own against the desires of the State dept., Pentagon, CIA, and even the Reagan administration foreign policy team.

And Charlie Wilson was a Rat. Top that for Freaky weird things in history.

[B-Chan]

The invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 marked the high tide mark of communist expansion and the start of the Soviet Union’s long-planned conquest of the West. Few today remember just how flaccid and helpless things seemed in those days: the economy was in tatters, with double-digit inflation, interest, and unemployment rates; U.S. military prowess was at an all-time low in the wake of the Vietnam debacle; and American optimism and resolve was drowned in a sea of decadence, defeatism, and malaise under the Carter administration. Had these trends continued, it is likely that an unprepared NATO would have had to face the might of the USSR at its peak of military power in a hot war — a war that we now know would have begun with a surprise nuclear attack on western Europe. The aftermath of such a war would have been more horrible than we can imagine today.

If not for the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 and the implementation of his offensive against the Soviet Union, my guess is that the USSR would have attacked and overrun western Europe within five years, leading to a nuclear exchange. This opinion was shared by a great many military and political leaders of the time, one of whom, British General Sir John Hackett, wrote a best-selling fictional forecast of such a conflict. The fact that World War III never became a hot war is almost certainly due to the election of Ronald Reagan, the subsequent re-arming of the West, and the counterattack against communism he led in the years 1981-1985.

Thanks to the vision, will, and courage of America’s fortieth president, the final battle of that World War was fought over a table in Reykjavik instead of in the fields, cities, skies, and seas of a devastated Europe. Once again, God sent His people a leader just in time. We should all take a moment out of every day to thank Him for allowing us to have Ronald Wilson Reagan as our leader.

[Koblenz]

Ronald Reagan was truly one of the greatest Presidents ever. He accomplished so much, mainly because he didn't care about what the polls would say at the time. He meant what he said.

I am glad that our country had such a strong leader. I remember Carter, but was only 10 when Reagan was elected, so I don't really remember how bad things were. I'm glad I was too young to really remember Jimmy.

[Ditto]

Not fair. That Jimmy Carter guy was real tough on the Ruskies. Remember when they invaded Afghanistan? He retaliated in force by boycotting the Moscow Olympics.

That showed them. Think of all the poor young Soviets that got hernias lugging all those gold medals away from those games when the competition didn't show.

That Carter was sure a tough guy. < /sarcasm >