Word: gorbachevized
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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...
...throughout this period, there were constant, escalating reminders of how much trouble Gorbachev faced at home: ethnic unrest, secessionism, economic deterioration, labor strife, an emboldened political opposition. When Eduard Shevardnadze visited the U.S. in September, he seemed preoccupied with domestic issues, especially the Soviet Union's problem with nationalities. A surprising and revealing addition to his entourage was Nikolai Shmelev, an economist who specializes in dire predictions and drastic prescriptions for the Soviet economy...
...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...
Thus, in one curious and ironic respect, the Administration is back to square one. It has traded its skepticism about Gorbachev's intentions for pessimism about his chances. That leaves the Administration, at least in its own eyes, still stuck with a dilemma about what prudent American policy should be. The strong inclination remains to wait and see, to test, to keep its powder dry and to be ready for someone other than Mikhail Sergeyevich...
Following eight nights of tumultuous demonstrations and calls for democracy, Czechoslovak party leader Milos Jakes resigns. The day in 1968 that Soviet tanks rolled into Prague. Prepping for his shipboard sessions with Gorbachev, Bush gives some signs that the meetings just might go beyond the get- acquainted exercise he originally envisioned. How the President's thoughts on the Soviet Union -- and its daring leader -- have evolved from standoffishness to engagement...