So Russians are like Americans (and probably lots of other folks) in personalizing eras by the leaders in power at that time, and assuming that the good and bad aspects of an era were due to the leader. Conditions (in retrospect, at least) were relatively good during Brezhnev's time, so he must have been a good guy. Some things were bad during Carter's time, so he was a louse.
This seems to go back to the very beginning of kingdoms and empires, when the head honcho was regarded as the link between the "gods" and the people, and so was responsible for causing or preventing droughts, etc.
Jon Johanning // jjohanning at igc.org __________________________________ Had I been present at the Creation, I would have given some useful hints for the better ordering of the universe. -- Attr. to Alfonso the Wise, King of Castile