Margaret Thatcher, Ayatollah Khomeini, Deng Xiaoping, and Pope John Paul II, a group of individuals I wouldn't normally associate with one another. Should make for an interesting read. I find Thatcher to be a pretty interesting example of how the GOP in the US picks odd people to proclaim as their ideal. She wasn't afraid to raise taxes when "needed," she wasn't anti-gay, she never got rid of socialized medicine, or attempted to. Perhaps the current GOP has more in common with the theocratic Khomeini. Just kidding cliffelam.
Your point on Thatcher is spot on - it's impossible to pick a political figure from another culture and perfectly project them on your own. In the same way it's impossible to pick a single program, say the NHS, and transport it into your culture. Optical engineers know that distance reduces resolution. If only political engineers understood that too. -XC PS - I remember the day after RR's election the Iranians announcing that they'd return the hostages forthwith. Ahem.