10/03/2026 08:23

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A few days later, Václav Havel came to Washington for a state visit, telling the press I was his “great friend. And it was short, the third-shortest inaugural address in history, after Lincoln’s second inaugural, the greatest of them all, and Washington’s second speech, which lasted less than two minutes. ing because our people and the Saudis had underestimated the ability of terrorists to build a bomb that powerful. ct for the Balkans, an agreement to support the region’s short-term needs and long-term growth by providing

I had not done so. And I would have supported the decision. America had spent trillions of dollars in defense to win the Cold War; we couldn’t risk reversal over less than $2 billion and a bad poll. I thought the refusal to pay our back dues was irresponsible and damaging to both the UN and the United States, but I agreed that reform was imperative.