I think you're overreacting to the President's statement. He didn't say that Reagan lacked courage and character. He didn't even say that we as a nation did. He said that the terrorists concluded that we did, because we hadn't convinced them otherwise. Yes, we had our hands full during Reagan's watch, but that doesn't alter the fact that the terrorists were going to come to the most obvious conclusions that presented themselves to them. And the fact is, it's easy enough to see how our response to the Beirut barracks bombing would have been encouraging to them.
I'm not saying that to denigrate Reagan's presidency, because I don't know how many people could have done better under the circumstances, but historical facts do need to be acknowledged all the same.
Listen, Bush meant exactly what he said. He meant that the actions, or reactions, of Carter, Reagan and Clinton lacked courage or character and it emboldened terrorists' commitment to strike at us.
I voted for Bush twice. I donated a few hundred of my hard-earned dollars to his reelection. I praised him to anyone within ear shot. But I will not abide his utter disrespect and defamation of this nation's greatest President.