It is always interesting to watch communists rationalize away their failures, which are continuing and legion. In their book “Soviet Communism: A New Civilization?”, Sidney and Beatrice Webb pooh pooh the great famine of 31-32 as not really so bad, compared to famine experts from India and China. They relate assurances of soviet officials that, “...whilst there was shortage and hunger, there was, at no time, a total lack of bread, though its quality was impaired by using other ingredients than wheaten flour; and that any increase in the death-rate, due to diseases accompanying defective nutrition, occurred only in a relatively small number of villages....”
No doubt Obama has this book, and adores it.