Dubya Does 'Reagan'

Townhall ^ | 10/23/2005 | Debra Saunders

[Molly Pitcher]

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. -- Sometimes, the only thing a president can do is hang onto history -- the promise of that day when he has his library and all his critics have transformed into admirers who gloss over his many stumbles only to stand in awe of his accomplishments, when the naysayers and nitpickers cannot be heard, as the ears before him hear only an uplifting soundtrack of Aaron Copland.

President Bush clearly was dreaming of that day as he stood at the grand opening of the Reagan Library Air Force One Pavilion, with wife Laura and Nancy Reagan by his side. He beheld the faces of a sea of survivors of the Reagan administration.

Former California Gov. Pete Wilson, once vilified, is now how held up as an example for GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Reagan's former attorney general, Ed Meese, endured a spate of scandals that would humble Bush guru Karl Rove. Former Reagan speechwriter Ken Khachigian weathered many brutal political campaigns.

Time allows the survivors to put it all behind them -- Iran-Contra, the god-awful Beirut-barracks bombing that left 241 American servicemembers dead, a massive deficit, ketchup as a vegetable. Today, the world remembers the Westminster speech in which he laid out his belief that freedom would triumph over communism, the Normandy speech and the day an American president uttered the words, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."

Today, Republicans hear the words Ronald Wilson Reagan and they smile. No wonder, then, that Bush used the occasion of this ceremony to jump on the Gipper's bandwagon. Conservatives (rightly) are angry that Bush allowed the federal government to balloon and (foolishly) miffed that he chose a nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court who wasn't a member of their club.

The left, of course, is hitting Bush for the deficit, as well. And from all sides, there is the constant carping on Iraq -- from those who want more troops, a withdrawal date -- and who barely give a nod to a successful voter-approval of the Iraqi constitution.

And so Bush reminded the people before him about how his term will look if America succeeds in Iraq. U.S. Rep. David Dreier, R-Calif., picked up the theme, when he said after the Bush speech that both presidents had the "spirit to take on an -ism" -- communism and terrorism.

Having been belittled for calling terrorists the "evildoers," Bush reminded the audience how Reagan defeated "the evil empire." And Dubya didn't need to remind this crowd of the ridicule Reagan endured for using that term.

Nancy Reagan made an unwitting connection when she recalled her final flight with Reagan on Air Force One as they left the White House in 1989. "As the champagne was poured and glasses were raised, someone shouted: 'Mission accomplished, Mr. President. Mission accomplished.'"

Former state Sen. Jim Brulte, R-Rancho Cucamonga, remembered the days when he was a "flunky junior nobody" in the Reagan administration. "The first Gorbachev summit," he noted, "ended in 'failure' because Reagan wouldn't give away the store." But it wasn't failure.

It was an episode in a campaign won, Bush noted, because of Reagan's "resolve." While Bush is different in many ways -- Reagan was supremely confident in himself and secure in his skin; for all his bluster, Bush is less self-assured -- they both shared a vision of what this world could be.

And so as political heat blasted this administration, amid stories of a petty feud with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and as serious legal problems threaten top White House aides, Bush had reason to dream of the day when the rancor is past -- the day when a president's children are no longer the stuff of negative stories, his work habits no longer the stuff of derision and his speech no longer fodder for late-night talk shows.

How America sees Bush depends completely on what happens in Iraq and the war on terrorism. While the outcome is uncertain, the goal, to Bush, is clear.

Dennis Revell, the widower of Maureen Reagan, mused: "History is seldom an instantaneous pat on the back. That time will come for this president, as well."

[sinkspur]

I love Reagan but there is an afflictino that some on the right suffer from. It is called "Reagan the Ideal" Those who suffer from it conviently forget Reagans past transgressions but are only to eagar to highlight the littlest transgression by GW Bush

Reagan, like Bush, was a pragmatist. And he made some major mistakes, as Bush has.

But this view of Reagan as floating on some kind of pure conservative cloud is just silly.

[pacesferry1967]

I believe that Reagan also signed some gun controal laws as Gov of CA. There was fear about armed Black Panthers decending on Sacramento. I think it was in 1970.


But you hit the nail on the head. Bush is pragmatic..something that the moonbats cant stand

[pacesferry1967]

""Well said, Ivan. It is inconceivable to me that some "conservatives" are now resorting to trashing President Reagan in order to defend some of President Bush's decisions."'


We're not trashing Reagan, we're pointing out the hypocracy of the right-wing moonbats when they rip Bush for transgressions that pail in comparisons to Reagans.


Fact is in both 1982 and 1983 Reagan signed the largest tax increase in American history up to that time...and yet the Ankle biters simply ignore it and instead focus on Miers.

[CBart95]

Your "service" may very likely go unappreciated.

[raybbr]

What would call Meese and Deaver?

Token non-crony appointments?

[joanie-f]

Thanks for the stealth ping, Steve. :)

A modern rule of grammar: 'Bush' and 'Reagan' should never be used in the same sentence.

Despite a seventeen-year concerted effort by left-leaning politicians, media decision-makers, and members of academia to tarnish his legacy, Ronald Reagan's influence on America’s collective courage and conscience will never die, as long as those of us who recognize his greatness are still living.

Unlike during the Cold War, during these precarious times, when our enemies are less defined/confined within prescribed borders, lacking a leader of Reagan’s incomparable stature represents America’s Achilles heel. And, try as they might to superficially and symbolically emulate him, there is not an American leader today worthy of taking up his mantle.

From my profile page, fondly ...

It was the ‘Rendezvous With Destiny’ speech that introduced me to Ronald Reagan. My Dad, more than anyone else I have ever known, embodied the noble qualities that defined ‘the greatest generation’ – and, from the time my sisters and I were very young, he steadfastly attempted (with varying degrees of success :) to instill in the four of us a sense of civic responsibility and involvement. To that end, he urged us to read and listen to a certain amount of news and commentary (which, in those more honest days, was clearly labeled ‘editorial’). My Dad was a staunch Goldwater supporter and he suggested that I watch the Reagan speech on that fateful autumn evening in 1964. At that time, I wasn’t terribly impressed with Barry Goldwater (although I became significantly more so later on), and I had never heard of Ronald Reagan, other than in echoes of conversations when people would occasionally discuss movies, etc.

I fell in love the evening of October 27, 1964 and haven’t been the same since.

Sixteen years later, during Reagan’s first presidential campaign, my husband and I and our two very young children went to Millersville University to hear him speak. His words were electrifying. His faith, wisdom, decency, honesty, and love of this country were awe-inspiring … and his sincere, unabashed passion literally filled the auditorium, wall to wall, floor to ceiling. Afterwards I was fortunate enough to make my way up to the stage and shake his hand. I am not, and never have been, starry-eyed about any public figure, so it was not the reaction of a ‘groupie’ when I felt an unmistakable strength and warmth run through me as his hand gripped mine. And the indescribably kind, knowing, optimistic twinkle in his eye is something I have never witnessed in the eyes of anyone else, before or since. Not ever.

My tribute to …

America's Greatest President

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He enunciated his words deliberately, so that the last four words, each a monosyllable, sound like hammer blows:

'Mr. Gorbachev! Tear down this wall!' ... 12 June, 1987

incomparable leadership embodied in faith, integrity, dignity, decency, character, intelligence, compassion and love of country in the Oval Office
(1981-1989)

There is no question that we have failed to live up to the dreams of the founding fathers many times and in many places. Sometimes we do better than others. But all in all, the one thing we must be on guard against is thinking that because of this, the system has failed. The system has not failed. Some human beings have failed the system ... 21 June, 1973

The work of volunteer groups throughout our country represents the very heart and soul of America. They have helped make this the most compassionate, generous, and humane society that ever existed on the face of this earth ... 16 October, 1973

We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look ... 20 January, 1981

...peace is the highest aspiration of the American People. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it, we will never surrender for it, now or ever ... 20 January, 1981

The house we hope to build is not for my generation but for yours. It is your future that matters. And I hope that when you are my age, you will be able to say as I have been able to say: We lived in freedom. We lived lives that were a statement, not an apology ... 18 May, 1984

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On The Eve Of The 2000 Republican Convention, An Open Letter To Ronald Reagan

by joanie-f

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America Says A Grateful Goodbye, In Stirring Music and Moving Images ...
Photographs (Souza), 'Mansions of the Lord' (Smith/Wallace)

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11 June, 2004:

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others,
faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms … 1 Peter 4:10

The Lord graced and blessed us with your presence during the time when we, and the world, needed you most. He has declared an end to your pain and suffering and now envelopes you in His own loving arms. Your beloved Nancy, your family, and your countrymen, who know that we will never again be the same without your precious presence, must also seek His strength and comfort, for the void that is left by your passing can never be filled.

May we prove to have been deserving of your leadership, by never relinquishing those convictions that you held sacred – the ultimate importance of, and reliance on, Divine direction, and the sanctity of human life, liberty and dignity. May we never abandon the exquisite example you have set for us. Through it, your spirit must remain forever alive in America, and your legacy must prevail, so long as humanity places value on righteousness.

A reluctant and tear-filled good bye, Ronald Reagan.

Precious Lord, take my hand.
Lead me on, help me stand.
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.
Through the storm, through the night,
Lead me on to the light.
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.

When my way grows drear,
Precious Lord, linger near –
When my life is almost gone.
Hear my cry, hear my call,
Hold my hand, lest I fall.
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.

Viewing the Caisson, Bidding Farewell

... and the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father ... Mat 13:43

~ joanie …

[Minuteman23]

Still, every time I watch and listen to that linked tribute to Reagan, I choke up, especially with the "Mansions of the Lord" music. And I've read through your profile page a number of times. It's beautiful.

You have Email.