Did Reagan really say no country ever got into a war because it was too strong? He did according to Edwin Meese, discussing the dusting off of the good old "peace through stength" philosophy rumored to be coming back into vogue. Certainly nations may have underestimated their own capabilities or overestimated the weakness of their enemies but Germany built up a military colossus right out in the front yard at a busy intersection, announced they were going to war, applied all aspects of warfighting (from negotiating and treaties to outright invasion), and damn near toppled most of the important parts of the world. They were strong and knew it. We ignored those glaring facts twice, writing the mess off as unavoidable cultural deficiencies caused by (as pointed out years later by P.J. O'Rourke) sitting outside drinking tiny cups of coffee instead of sitting inside drinking large glasses of whiskey. I can't imagine Reagan saying someting that naive. Maybe I missed some greater point(s)? Can anyone enlighten me? Only Stalin, stating in 1941, that war with Germany was inevitable, felt strong enough -- in spite of his ill-advised officer purges -- to face the threat head on. He may have underestimated his readiness but he nonetheless mucked things up for a good long while in the Allies favor and rightfully emerged the second strongest nation on the planet. Of course, it's only fair to note that it's 'rightful' if you overlook political negotiations such as the one which forced Patton to watch the Russians "take" the Elbe River as he fumed in a lawn chair, probably drawing bigger, sillier mustaches on pictures of Joe.
