"The terrorists saw our response to the hostage crisis in Iran, the bombings in the Marine barracks in Lebanon, the first World Trade Center attack, the killing of American soldiers in Somalia, the destruction of two U.S. embassies in Africa, and the attack on the USS Cole. The terrorists concluded that we lacked the courage and character to defend ourselves, and so they attacked us."
Bush deliberately included Reagan in his comments. Before doing so someone might have suggested he ask Muammar Qaddafi if Reagan lacked courage or ask the millions now free from Soviet bondage (USSR was indeed one of mankind's greatest fomenters of terrorism) if Reagan lacked character.
Wondering what your thoughts about the President's address are. Is he right about our now being able to use Iraqis to maintain security of towns our guys liberate from the terrorists?
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.
I notice that Bush doesn't mention the administrations in question, so I see nothing invidious about it. In point of fact Reagan did withdraw after the bombing of the Marine barraks in Lebanon - not because he wanted to, but because of the Democratic Congress.But Bush's point, surely, is that that is a fine point to terrorists who have been conditioned to expect that their perseverence is greater than our own. We simply don't have the option of rewarding that perseverence; we must punish it.