Gorby pays his respects.

[ronnykmarshall]

Pretty amazing to see a former leader of the USSR paying respects like this. Who would have thought this 30 years ago.



Nice of him to visit with Nancy. She looks happy to see him.





Oh yeah, and some old drunk wandered in too.

[rumguy]

1. wow! powerful pictures...

[MikeG]

2. Gorby lost his wife a while ago.

[ronnykmarshall]

3. I just missed seeing her one time.

They were in SF on a state visit. I saw her limo pull off down California Street in SF.

Remember when she and Nancy didn't get along to well?

[Shakespeare]

4. Yes! Didn't they finally break the ice by going shopping together?

That actually tickled me at the time--two middle-aged women hit it off by hitting the mall together. Seeing Gorby must've reminded her of better times....and better people.

[ronnykmarshall]

8. I think you're right.

Raisa was a pretty snappy dresser like Nancy.

Nancy: Oh Raisa, cut the crap and let's burn a hole the boy's wallets!

Raisa: I want nothing to do with your capitalist, imperalist ........ oh fuck it, come girlfriend let's go.


Then they take off ala Betty and Wilma: CHAAAARRRRRRRGGGEEE IT!

[M3some]

5. I always found Gorby to be a class act

He seemed to exude a genuine decency about him, a real integrity. When you really think about it, he ultimately was the reason for the Cold War ending, or at least a HUGE part of it.

Those pictures are very touching. So nice to see him come over here to pay his respects. What a great man and a great statesman.

[newyawker99]

11. Hi M3some!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[DeepModem Mom]

6. His stature still shows, and his sense of history, and occasion --

it WAS good to see him.

[ronnykmarshall]

9. The quote from Nancy to Gorby:

"I'm so glad you're here."

This was on yahoo.

[PopSixSquish]

7. Well Bless His Heart

I actually wondered if he'd be here. I'm glad to see that. He always seemed like a nice man and statesman.

[Catt03]

10. Nice pictures

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

12. Good shots of Gorbachev...he is a class act.

That the end of Communism and the iron curtain was as peacefull as it was owes ALOT to Gorbachev.

[ronnykmarshall]

13. He's a great man.

I always felt better when he took over in the USSR. He is a man of peace and I'm glad that he and Ronald Reagan could see eye to eye about the threat our two nations held for the rest of the world.

[keithyboy]

14. Am I wrong but didn't Reagan favor Yeltsin over Gorby.

And wasn't the US support of Yeltsin the reason that the outcome of the dissolution of the USSR was so devastating for Russia? Head long into trying to force a capitalistic system without much planning for the economy and the infrastructure, banking etc. (almost like what we are doing in Iraq) was disaterous for the people of Russia. As I recall, Yelting (drunk that he was) was Ronnie's choice. Gorby wanted to change Russia but to do it much more slowly and with much more attention to social, financial, structural needs. Correct me if I am wrong.

[muriel_volestrangler]

18. I think that would have been Bush Sr., not Reagan

Since Gorbachev was still in charge of the USSR when Reagan left office. Yeltsin had been a maverick Moscow mayor who had said Gorbachev wasn't changing things fast enough (and Gorbachev sacked him), but he wasn't that big a deal. It wasn't until 1991 that he got elected to be the Russian Federation president (with Gorbachev still leading the USSR), and then the failed coup happened that basically took away Gorbachev's power and broke up the USSR.

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/yeltsintimeline1.html

[Justice]

15. I heard Bush visited for 20 seconds, no kidding

A RW talk radio guy (Jay Severin in Boston) said this, and actually said, should he have staid longer, to at least make people see that he was saying a prayer or having a moment of reflection? Especially if you compare it with Gorby's visit today.

20 seconds, time it on a C-SPAN repeat if you don't believe me.

[ronnykmarshall]

17. He and Laura came and went.

From the video, it looked like W couldn't wait to get the fuck outta there.

No class.

[July]

20. 20 seconds is generous.

It was 20 seconds only if you count the time they spent walking up to the casket. I rewound on my Dish Tivo-clone and checked. At the casket, 10 seconds.

[Catherine Vincent]

16. Gorby looks like Dick Cheney minus the birthmark on his head.

[Gin]

19. Nancy and Gorby are both single now....Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

g

[Vladimir]

21. Gorby, the fucking scumbag

I hope you can sleep at night looking at the state of Russia today you goddamn prick.

[0rganism]

22. M. Gorbachev is one of the great statesmen of the 20th century

We need more like him. Unfortunately, the mark on his head is where they broke the mold.