moreover, what the west cannot seem to wrap their heads around is that kgb provenance is no telltale sign of political nefariousness. the kgb was en elite organization in the ussr, much more so than the cia under dulles or the fbi under hoover could ever aspire to be. it cherry picked the best and the brightest and infused them with a sense of duty and obligation to the nation (motherland in communist-inspired parlance). naturally, when the communist party and the rest of the soviet authority pillars, including the army and the ministry of the interior, collapsed that left the kgb as the only source of intelligent, educated, multilingual people to staff important government positions, people who, while not entirely neglecting their own bank accounts, can and do prioritize government interests as paramount. just because the west disagrees with how they define those interests, it does not mean the kgb people in positions of power r incarnations of evil. sure, kgb legacy politicians have their shortcomings stemming from their spy agency associations. luck of trust, conspiracy mentality, defining public interest as always prevalent over the individual who can be run over roughshod if needs be, all of that r clearly handicaps. russia needs a new generation of leaders who will combine the duty-bound mentality of the present kgb people with the open-mindedness and forward-thinking russia will have to have to transform itself into an economic powerhouse that could deal on equal terms with europe, america, india, and china. medvedev, might, and i repeat, MIGHT be such a leader. but for the time being, the kgb alumni r all there is to be had. they r the best russia has for the lack of something better, at least for the time being.

That’s why I thank god that my university affiliation gives me access to Lexis-Nexis. Without it, I would have never known that Putin’s soul was a topic that went beyond Bush’s comment.

I’m saying no such thing. My point was that a reasoned examination of American foreign policy would not paint a picture of tragedy to anywhere near the extent that is commonly believed. You then said the Germans thought the same thing as regards their foreign policy after the battle of Stalingrad. They did not.

As Iraq is to most Americans today. You seem to think most Americans approve of Bush’s foreign policy and people who disapprove are just a few nay-sayers. They don’t. It is highly unpopular.

If by “they” you mean those who ran Hitler’s propaganda machine and a select few of Hitler’s inner circle, then you are right.

But to most Germans, including most of the German army, the defeat at Stalingrad was nothing less than a tragedy, and acknowledged as such in letters home, diaries, memoirs, and contemporary reports.

But it’s interesting that you equate those who believe the presidency of Bush Jr. has not been an unmitigated disaster with those Germans who believed the Battle of Stalingrad was nothing more than a hiccup in the fortunes of the Third Reich. I remember laughing at those who first wrote that Baghdad would be defended like Stalingrad, and later those who thought the Iraq War was like the Battle of Stalingrad. I guess some things just are prone to be hammered to fit metaphors.

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Directive for the Anti-Bolshevist Propaganda Action

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The ultimate conclusion of this propaganda action must be the absolute affirmation of the whole people to the Führer. The Führer alone led the NSDAP to power ten years ago, and thus built a protective wall against the Bolshevist danger that year by year grew more dangerous for Germany and for Europe. The Führer alone had the genius to see the imminent threat of a Bolshevist attack and prevented it through his heroic decision, thus sparing our people from infinite misery, sorrow, and horror. The Führer created the German military, the sword that alone is able to defeat Bolshevism.

“We will win because Adolf Hitler leads us!”

This slogan must be the logical conclusion of this action.

The thanks that we owe the Führer for saving our people is so great that we can never repay him. The least that he can demand of us is a faith in him that can be shaken by nothing, regardless of what happens, a faith that will flow like a river of power through our people and lead to victory. We owe him absolute allegiance. More than ever, everyone’s slogan must be:

“Führer command, we will obey!”

http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/bolshevist.htm