Mikhail Gorbachev at the 1985 Geneva summit
Image: The Reagan Library
Mikhail Gorbachev, the last President of the USSR, died today. He was 91.
His kidneys failed several months back and his last days likely were painful and full of suffering. He is, hopefully, not suffering anymore.
He made a lot of mistakes but he was also a true political leader who knew when the society he was in charge of became dysfunctional enough to warrant drastic reforms, if not a dissolution. He had the courage to acknowledge that - even though as a politician he came up in that same system. And for that he deserves the highest credit.
RIP, sir. You had wisdom and you had courage and you sought to do the right thing. At least some of the time. This is more than can be said of many a human.