Posted on 06/08/2004 2:56:07 AM PDT by Cincinatus
Amen.
What a terrific article! It certainly puts a lot of the public comments about this great man in their proper perspective.
I have been wondering about something since he passed on. What if Reagan had not won the election against Jimmy Carter in 1980? How would the course of American and world history have been changed? For me, it is a sobering, almost terrifying, thought. So many forget how he was viewed in his term of office - hardly as the giant that so many of us have come to understand him to be. As the article points out, there are many to this day who cannot bring themselves to acknowledge his achievements.
People forget Gorbachev was APPOINTED AFTER Reagan BECAUSE of Reagan.
Remember the Charm Offensive of Gorbachev? It was supposed to counter Reagan's inroads to Europe.
Gorbachev was supposed to be a "I am a Reagan too." He was a commie then, and is a commie now. (just now he does in with the environmentalists instead of the USSR.)
> The irony of Reagan never caring about who got the credit is that history will heap it on him while ignoring those who did.
Reagan is one president who did not have to search for a legacy. He earned one the old-fashioned way.
What if Reagan had not won the election against Jimmy Carter in 1980? How would the course of American and world history have been changed? For me, it is a sobering, almost terrifying, thought.That is a sobering thought.
Here's another one:
What if Reagan had won the 1976 nomination and gone on to win the presidency in that year, instead of 1976.
Is it possible there would have been no Iranian revolution? That's an intriguing possibility.
On the other hand, is it possible that without having to live through the slime and the mud of the Carter years, the American people wouldn't have backed Reagan's economic revolution?
I feel certain that Reagan still would have "torn down that wall" and sent the soviets to the "ash can of history". But we'll never know. Interesting speculation.
This one's a keeper. Bookmarked.
In those days you had Jimmy Carter "fearing" the future because of that character that replaced him. The list of like minded Democrats could go on all day. Yet you also had Republicans that agreed with the Democrats. This list included such luminaries as Kissinger, Nixon and even George Will (in observing US Soviet relations under Reagan).
When comparing giants and dwarves, think about what occupied Reagan's time. He set an agenda regarding foreign and domestic issues that mad the 1980's a watershed on the world stage. To a great extent Bush (H.W.) benefitted.
Look at the issues that occupied the time of the next 2 term guy. I recall some period of time when he decided it was important to protect the American people from telemarketers. Now, that's something to get historians all in a flutter.
What do you expect from people whose ideology trumps human decency.
I am still amazed at the self-delusion/idiotcy of the libs. They will never understand President Reagan and what he accomplished, and certainly will never willingly give him any credit in accomplishing it.
"Yet you also had Republicans that agreed with the Democrats. This list .... George Will"
and it goes on today. I can't read his articles on Iraq. They are invariably pessimistic.
"Reagan was a giant in the company of dwarves."
I saw George Schultz, President Reagan's first Secretary of State, interviewed on Fox News last night. He told about how at Reijkevik (sp?) Gorbachov opened the summit by offering a whole list of concessions the first day. Reagan and Schultz were surprised and delighted. Then the second day, Mr. Gorbachov revealed what those concessions were conditional upon - the US dropping SDI. President Reagan and Mr. Schultz left the summit with nothing concrete to show for it. The political pressure on him must have been enormous. However, history has shown that he made the right decision. Amazing story.
Outstanding article. Thanks for posting it.
"The military buildup that Carter did begin would have been half hearted and aimed only at defense of the homeland."
I saw President Bush, the elder, interviewed over the weekend. He was asked how the Reagan military buildup had affected the Gulf War. His response was that it was enormously significant. He stated that the loss of life on our side would have been significantly higher had it not been for that.
And I remember the NY Times and the Washington Post and TIME screaming at Reagan for his "failure". It would be great to bring those moldy oldie editorials out of the stacks and confront the lefties with just how WRONG they were all the time when dealing with Pres. Reagan. You can bet the minute he's buried on Friday, they will begin trying to cover their a**es and rewrite the legacy of that hero of freedom. That's when every patriot needs to fight back with the truth. A good place to begin is in the high school and college textbooks given to our future leaders. Not one dime of tax-payer-funds should be given to history instruction that omits or distorts Pres. Reagan's record of accomplishment!
I stopped reading George Will, too. I have no time for doom-and-gloomers.
The could have do so if only Ronald Reagan had not pushed them to the precipice and forced them to acknowledge the futility of such an idea! Reagan was the giant, Gorby was the dwarf! Deluded Liliputians!
It's almost a certainty.
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