The Soviet Union fell apart and the satellite countries gained their freedom after Reagan left office.
The economic miracle of the 90's happened after Reagan left office.
But he laid the foundations for both of those events.
And so Bush is laying foundations now.
And as he said 4 years ago. This is a war that "may not end on my watch."
Reagan was never worried about what the editorial writers at the NY Times or the Wash Post wrote about him. He was more concerned what historians long after he left office thought about him.