In Reagan's Footsteps

Europe decides that Bush may be right after all. Friday, February 25, 2005 12:01 a.m. EST Visits by U.S. Presidents to Europe tend to have a template-making quality: Wilson, the peace maker, in Paris, 1919; Truman, the victor, at Potsdam, 1945; Kennedy, the stalwart, in Berlin, 1963; Reagan, the visionary, in Berlin, 1987. If President Bush's trip this week has some kind of new theme, the word for it is probably conciliation. But our sense is that Mr. Bush is really following in Reagan's footsteps. Admittedly, this thought is not original: Der Spiegel beat us to it. Still, it says something that the leftish German newsweekly, which two years ago devoted an entire cover story to advancing the "Blood for Oil" thesis about U.S. ambitions in the Middle East, has gingerly raised the question, "Could Bush Be Right?" "The Germany Reagan was traveling in, much like today's Germany, was very skeptical of the American president and his foreign policy," Der Spiegel writes. "When Reagan stood before the Brandenburg Gate--and the Berlin Wall--and demanded that Gorbachev 'tear down this Wall,' he was lampooned the next day on the editorial pages. He is a dreamer, wrote commentators. . . . But history has shown that it wasn't Reagan who was the dreamer as he voiced his demand. Rather, it was German politicans who were lacking in imagination--a group who in 1987 couldn't imagine that there might be an alternative to a divided Germany." It is doubtful that Der Spiegel would have made these observations had Mr. Bush's visit taken place just before Iraq's election rather than just after.

But they give "Peanut" the Nobel. And the blind idiot followers of the leftist agenda are all seriously confused about what has just happened. "But you told me that he was stupid"!

I was in a joint last night when a parrot of such thought invaded my space with such drivel. They are still repeating their "like", "like", "like", "you know", "like" Haliburton, "like", "blood for oil", "like".

Whew!

Last night I watched a documentary on FDR's fireside chats. Also it had his speeches made during WW2. What an inspiring figure. He used words like "evil," "our grand troops" "our nation in it's righteousness" "with the help of God". These phrases would get him kicked out of the modern Democrat party. I asked my wife,"What happened to the Democrat party from that day?" Also, a local radio host read some speeches from JFK. After reading the speeches the host stated, "If this guy was alive today he would be run out of the DNC on a rail." What happened to the once great Democrat party? Even Daniel Patrick Moynahan, an unabashed liberal, was a better liberal than many of todays liberals. My theory is that the DNC has been firmly taken over by the Micheal moores and moveon.orgs and they have to keep appealling to that type of thinking as then they could go third party and the dems are losing votes in their traditional bases and thats the last strong base they have. Even my parents, traditional democrats, admit that the party has left them but they can't pry themselves from that reflexive Northern Minnesota, D vote.

I used to be a DINO (Democrat in name only) because I really didn't have an interest in politics and I signed up as a Democrat when I got my driver's License. The Clinton fiasco changed me, I even voted for the guy the second time but it was just a popular thing to do, I wanted to vote but I had no clue at all who I was voting for. The names might as well have been written in some foreign language because I was scared to even use the booth. I even got mad at the Republican's for trying to impeach Clinton and thought it was neat how they marched on Capital Hill. They smeared Republicans like Lott and I believed it was the pot calling the kettle black. The media had me sucked in and I believed it. Then came the Blue dress and the truth and when he sat there and lied straight faced about what he did I got mad as hell. My party affiliation is registered "Independent" because I just wanted to be in the middle not knowing if the Republicans were just as bad. I have learned since then by looking for voices of reason such as Rush, Laura, Bruce Elliott, even Hannity, and even then I listened with a skeptical chip on my shoulder thinking it was all BS. Now I feel completely different, even foolish for my lack of interest and knowledge about what affects my life. Free Republic is the forum of choice for me after trying several others. I still have a lot to learn and many knowledgeable FReepers here post great stuff from points of view to links I never heard of that I now have locked in my favorites. Some people out there are just like me, not stupid just uninformed, other really are beyond hope. I can only hope the numbers that voted for Kerry contain more uniformed then those beyond hope because the message is getting out there with the Internet and talk radio and the tide is in our favor. The peak of liberalism is before us, the best part is we get to watch in on the way down.

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