The USSR failed not because of Star Wars but because the huge patronage/military system could not be maintained when oil prices declined after the 1970s-early 1980′s recession and matched increased production by the Saudis and gulf oil states.

The Soviets could not pay their army, nor send money to their client states. That caused the end of all but a few (Castro). Simple as that. Economics matters, and most hedgehogs paid little attention to how much wealth and money the USSR could create and how much it spent to maintain it’s empire.

The Soviet Empire WAS massive, but typically Russian. I.E. perpetually broke, poor quality of men and equipment, often stupid and brutal inside it’s own organizations, few visionary leaders, stupid use of limited resources, a Czar and a bunch of serfs, no independent thinking, and very slow to adapt. This characterizes Russia since the days of Ivan the Terrible (and likely before). It took an effort of will not to see the obvious, people mesmerized by the effort in WWII and projecting that into the current situation and future. Which would be like viewing Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow as indicative of the French today.

Obama’s bound to be set up for disappointment. Not the least of which is presiding over a massive Chosin Resevoir defeat in Afghanistan, matched perhaps by the nuking of an American city by Pakistani or Iranian nukes. Jimmy Carter knew one thing: abasement of America to atone for our “sins” and ended up a disaster that created 12 years of Republican rule on the Presidential level.

Obama’s likely to be even worse, and ironically for his supporters a disaster for all his policies. He’s too rigid and unbending and believes his own messiah hype.