Reagan and Gorbachev: The Odd Couple

Will Reagan and Gorbachev come up with a surprise or two?

Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev are affable television performers who regard themselves as instigators of something approaching a revolution in their nations' domestic policies. Otherwise, they are separated in age, personality and political fortune by a gulf about as wide as the philosophical chasm between the two superpowers. The 76-year-old U.S. President prepares to play host to their third summit meeting next week in Washington, smarting from a long string of setbacks that have raised grave questions about his ability to exercise leadership during the final 14 months of his term. The 56-year-old Soviet General Secretary, despite some troubles with conservatives...

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