Word: bushing
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Bush Administration was made up of battle-scarred veterans with long memories. They were acutely aware that every President since the end of World War II had learned the hard way the domestic political perils of underestimating the Soviet capacity for producing unpleasant surprises and overestimating the possibility of profound, permanent improvement in U.S.-Soviet relations...
This week's meeting in the Med will bring together the most daring of all Soviet leaders and one of the most cautious American Presidents. Mikhail Gorbachev frequently, and proudly, describes his approach to the world as "radical," while George Bush's favorite word when he talks about foreign policy is prudent. Yet Bush has come a long way in his thinking about the Soviet Union. In a matter of months, his Administration has gone from viewing Gorbachev as a slickly disguised variant of the old red menace to a potential partner in creating a new world order...
...George Bush did not get where he is today by taking chances or questioning conventional wisdom, particularly on the No. 1 life-or-death issue of U.S. foreign policy. As a Congressman, diplomat, Republican Party chairman, Vice President and presidential candidate, he was always the sort of politician who fretted about the consequences of a misstep. For Bush, therefore, slow is better than fast and standing pat is often the safest posture. Once he replaced Ronald Reagan, Bush's instinct was to apply the brakes to the juggernaut of improved U.S.-Soviet relations, to take the turns very cautiously...
Shortly afterward, Bush's aides, particularly Baker, began talking -- first privately, then publicly -- about "helping" Gorbachev. They had heard the H word from their boss, so the taboo was lifted...
Gorbachev's mounting troubles have had an ambiguous effect on the thinking of the Bush Administration. The set of questions that drives U.S. policy has gone from "Is Gorbachev for real? And is he good for us?" to "Can he make it? And can we help him?" There is far more inclination in Washington today than even a few months ago to accept the best-case interpretation of what Gorbachev wants, what he represents, and what the U.S.S.R. would look like if he were to succeed in his program. At the same time, however, there is also more objective reason...