[soccermom]

"Given Reagan's opposition to the give-away of the Panama Canal, I think that we can safely presume that he would never have allowed this deal to get as far as it did." If you can't distinguish between "giving away" the Panama Canal and allowing foreigners to have contracts with American-owned ports, I think you've illustrated that you have fallen for the hype and hysteria. And, as I noted to another poster, what makes you think Reagan would have been aware of such a deal, let alone micro-managing it? No president would have been involved in such a decision. Reagan wasn't even aware of the arms deal, yet you expect me to believe he would have been all over this?

[Iwo Jima]

Reagan may not have known about the deal any earlier than Bush did, but ONCE HE DID KNOW, Reagan's values and instincts would have led him to reject such a deal, whereas Bush's values and instincts led him to embrace such a deal. Reagan valued the sovereignty of the United States above almost any other value. Bush values globalism and business above sovereignty.

If you don't think that you know what Reagan would have done in this situation, why did you refer to Reagan's likely response in your vanity?