I know, though I hate to think so, there's a certain 30% that thinks there are extreme times when it should be used, but not that "There's a lot of people in the country like the idea of torturing these people." That's very sickening.

It is sickening. It's also very true.

A survey by the Pew Research Center in October showed that 15 percent of Americans believe torture is “often” justified, and another 31 percent believe it is “sometimes” justified. Add to that another 17 percent who said it is “rarely” justified, and you have two out of three Americans justifying torture under certain circumstances. Only 32 percent said it is “never” justified, while another 5 percent didn’t know or refused to answer.

http://ncronline.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2006a/032406/032406h.htm

Americans take a great deal for granted. And never realize that "under certain circumstances" they themselves may someday be on the receiving end.

People rarely take it so well as they can dish it out. Do they?

My point is that your idea that Soviet decline was widely thought of as inevitiable at the time is ahistoric and ignorant.

A conclusion not supported by any facts.

Reagan and others recognised that it would certainly fail and that its failure could be accelerated.

Now you're contradicting yourself. Observe:

The USSR was regarded as a permanent fixture ...

Reagan and others recognised that it would certainly fail ...

Why can't you make up your mind? Short of materials?

You do this to yourself, jiggles.

Your worship of Reagan is particularly misguided. Reagan never had an idea in his head that some wingnut lunatic didn't tamp in there, lubricated with flattery. Reagan was an actor. He read lines off teleprompters and was addicted to flattery. Remember?

But notice the direct contradiction in proxi-war's post back there.

Keep in mind, when debating right-wingers, that the facts are against them, as are logic and reason. Therefore they must always rely on fallacies of fact and reason, which are always there, no matter how they may be disguised in verbiage.

It puts them at a distinct disadvantage.

Off-topic. But only sort of:

50 Most Loathsome People in America, 2007

http://buffalobeast.com/122/50mostloathsome2007.html