[Hemingway's Ghost]

Very good point. I was 12 when on the same day Reagan was both inaugurated and the hostages were finally released, and I distinctly remember thinking to myself: wow, these Iranian dudes must be sh*t scared of this cat named R. W. Reagan, whereas they weren't scared a whit by Jimmy C.

Viz. Obama's foreign policy CV, unfortunately for me, I traffic in a lot of liberal circles, and I'm continually dumbfounded when they say "yeah, Obama hasn't been all that successful domestically, but look at what he's done in terms of foreign policy."

This means he was at the helm when the US Navy finally put two in Bin Laden's hat and when we withdrew from Iraq.

This, to them, is proof positive of a Churchillian stature on the world stage.

[palmer]

remember that obama already got the piece prize for his foreign policy accomplishments.

[chimera]

One other thing that could turn it aside from gasoline prices is what happens in the debates, although I have no confidence in anyone on our side other than Gingrich being able to stand up to Obama in those. In fact, I think Obama, with the help of the media moderators, will wipe the floor with anyone other than Gingrich. But, anyway, back in ‘80, Reagan's performance in the last debate with Carter was outstanding. He answered positively a lot of questions people had about him. He gave them a sense of comfort and a glimpse of his leadership ability. And of course his closing remark was brilliant. He simply asked people if they were better off today than they were four years ago. If they were, he said, they had no reason to vote to change leadership. But if they sensed that America was not in a stronger position in the world, if the national economy was not stronger, if their own personal financial position was weaker, then there was reason to vote for a change. It was devastating. Carter simply couldn't answer that, because his record on all those things was utterly inept. In a few simple sentences, it turned the voter focus squarely on the failures of Carter, and away from any lingering doubts they may have had about Reagan. Can any of our guys do likewise this time? I kind of doubt if, for the reasons we've discussed.