Can one man be missed more than The Gipper?
Leadership 101.
I don’t think there is anyone in the current government that could man up and show any strength at all.
Right after the bombing, he still spoke of the terrorist activities in terms of Cold War/nationalistic/big power dynamics. But within three years his rhetoric began to change and he started to see the Islamofascist threat as unique and quite apart from traditional threats.
Gosh.
Remember how nice it was to have a real President?
Now we have fumblebutt.
Ahh, when men were MEN...
And women were glad of it!
bttt
The reason an honorable leader like Reagan didn’t punish his military officers for the Beirut disaster is that the weak security at 24th MAU’s compound at Beirut International Airport was dictated by the Reagan Administration over the vehement objections of Marine officers within and outside the chain of command. Reginald Bartholomew, our ambassador and de facto POTUS on the ground, deserves as much blame for the October 23 slaughter of our Marines, sailors and soldiers as any of the Iranian, Syrian or Lebanese plotters who accomplished the actual deeds. It was civilian leadership which directed the rapid mission creep from “peacekeeping” to active participation in support of the Gemayel government - and which simultaneously overruled all USMC measures to strengthen force protection in light of our changed mission. When Ambassador Bartholomew overruled 24th MAU commander Colonel Tim Geraghty’s plan to evacuate all combat non-essentials to our Navy ships offshore, the die was cast. We were hung out to dry.
Those were the days. Patriotic God-fearing responsible adults were in charge.
THAT was a leader. Everyone else since is a lightweight by comparison.