8 thoughts on “Mikhail Gorbachev”

  1. The last of the “true believers”. Who saw not the fatal errors of Marx and Lenin, but only minor systemic flaws he believed could be corrected. We now know better, even Putin has acknowledged it.

    As for breaking news: this just in, the Soviet Union, Francisco Franco and Ferdinand Marcos are still reported dead…

    1. Gorbachev was self aware enough to know that oppression made the Soviet system inefficient. He wasn’t self aware enough to know it also made it possible. He ended the Cold War by losing it.

  2. Gorbachev contacted President George H. W. Bush during the buildup to the Gulf War, and offered to send Soviet warships to the Persian Gulf as support. Bush politely declined the offer, because privately he thought that no one would take Mikhail’s Navy seriously.

    1. Generational Meme Warning!
      The previous posting targets Boomers and some members of GenX.
      The following joke checkers have given their approval of this dad-style-originated, comedic-MeTV referenced nautical joke.

      1. I told my wife (7 years my junior) this tonight, and it’s the first time she has ever responded with an eye-roll, groan, and comment that “to say ‘you are a silly boy’ would be superfluous.”

        The ultimate Dad joke? Score!!!!!

  3. Gorby featured in what became one of my life’s ironies:

    In “Fellow Traveler” (written in 89, published in 91) perestroika and glaznost have saved the USSR, so now Gorby and Yeltsin are in cahoots, knocking off their political opponents one by one. Roskosmos leadership talks them into moving a newly discovered near earth asteroid into cislunar space. Meanwhile, Neocon hotheads running the US decide to intervene, and in the end the asteroid lands on France instead.

    In the book, Gorby gives a speech to the Politburo to get them to go along with the plan. About a year later, I got a space newsletter saying what a shame it was Gorby didn’t stay in charge, and if only our idiot leadership was so far sighted! Apparently, the speech given by my imaginary Gorby escaped into the noosphere and a lot of idiots thought it was real.

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