On Tuesday, President Obama spoke to some students in Moscow. He was talking about the end of the Cold War. Here’s his analysis of how it came to an end:
Within a few short years, the world as it was ceased to be. Now, make no mistake: This change did not come from any one nation. The Cold War reached a conclusion because of the actions of many nations over many years, and because the people of Russia and Eastern Europe stood up and decided that its end would be peaceful.
Really? No one nation stood in the forefront to make this possible? No one nation took a stance against the “evil empire” and followed policies that hastened its fall? It only fell because the people stood up and said, “no more”? This reminded me of a cartoon I use in class:
Our president needs a history lesson. He’s not very open to it, however, because it would point directly to Ronald Reagan as the catalyst for bringing the Cold War to a successful conclusion. That’s not part of Obama’s worldview, so it can have no place in his speeches. History is being rewritten by the “winner.”