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Anyone who doesn't regret the passing of the Soviet Union has no heart. Anyone who wants it restored has no brains.

The opportunities that Gorbachev created for international relations have also been missed, perhaps even lost - here, however, primarily because of the United States.

If the Soviet empire still existed, I'd be terrified. The fact is, we can afford a fairly ignorant presidency now.

I see that not everyone in the West has understood that the Soviet Union has disappeared from the political map of the world and that a new country has emerged with new humanist and ideological principles at the foundation of its existence.

Remember, we know the end of the story of World War II and the Cold War. But day by day, living in fear of the Nazis and then in fear of the Soviets, the outcome was by no means certain.

Americans think Soviets are so grim. I want them to see that they can smile.

With hindsight, we see that the Soviet Union never had a chance of world domination, but we didn't know that then.

Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!

The Russians are a very sentimental people.