General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: One last Thom Hartmann post - because he's leaving RT, ending "The Big Picture." [View all]yardwork
(61,331 posts)Wherein Thom Hartmann blamed Bill Clinton for breaking a promise that Reagan supposedly made to Gorbachev at the time of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The promise was supposedly that NATO would not threaten Russia's western border.
This was puzzling to a lot of us because -
1. Reagan wasn't in power when the Soviet Union dissolved.
2. There's no record of any such promise being made to Gorbachev or any Soviet leader by Reagan or any U.S. president.
3. In fact, the Brookings Institution and others have debunked this old lie, years ago, so it's intriguing to see it brought up again by a supposed progressive commentator.
4. Bill Clinton didn't start an issue with Russia. That too is a fabrication and a bizarre one to bring up now.
5. There are very good reasons for NATO to be concerned about Putin's behavior in Eastern Europe, such as his invasion of Ukraine.