He was smarter than the elite gave him credit for. He realized that the Soviet Union could not stand, was in fact crumbling, and would soon be relegated to the "ashbin of history."
"He realized that the Soviet Union could not stand, was in fact crumbling, and would soon be relegated to the "ashbin of history.""
When he was wondering about his stance toward the Soviet Union, he was unsure about how to treat them. He was advised that he should just bide his time since the Soviet Union was self-destructing. His advisor and Russia expert was...Condoleeza Rice.
He didn't know that for sure though. But he believed, and he had faith, and he had the courage of his convictions. I don't know if it's from listening to Michael, or reading, or documentaries, but I recently got an insight into the White House at the time and it reminded me that when you're in there you don't know for sure that action A is going to produce reaction B, you have to go for it, make your move.