[mkjessup]

He managed the breakup of the USSR (not Reagan)

If it were not for Reagan, GHWB, as did Presidents PRIOR to our 40th President, would have continued to preside over the abominable foreign policy known as 'detente' with the Soviet Union. America's past administrations had validated the Soviet annexation, domination and control of Eastern Europe, didn't give a good damn about the Baltic states, and were content to let Moscow "live and let live".

Not so Ronald Wilson Reagan, his approach to the Cold War was direct and straightforward, i.e. "we win, they lose" and his policies were what brought about America's victory over the Soviets, so don't hand us any crap about GHWB 'handling' the breakup of the USSR, he 'handled' it the same way that 0bama is responsible for 'catching' 0sama bin Laden. He just happened to be sitting in the Oval Office at the right time, when the Soviet monolith came crashing down. It wasn't GHWB who went to the Berlin Wall and thundered "MR GORBACHEV? TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!"

And let nobody forget that.

[Williams]

Ronald Reagan was great, but it’s also true the USSR fell not under Reagan, but under GHWB, and the elder Bush managed it superbly. All conventional wisdom was that East Germany would have to be kept in the Russian sphere, definitely no NATO troops there. Bush insisted on and got 100% German reunification in NATO.

As for a posting here about Yeltsin, when hardline commie generals tried to stage a coup, Bush backed Yeltsin and prevented a possible return to the cold war.

Has Bush been reelected, as a 2 term president his accmplishments would be far more recognized.