[Leica] Remembering the Reagan years

[mlpowell at sbcglobal.net (Matthew Powell)]

On Jun 9, 2004, at 9:53 PM, GREG LORENZO wrote:
> There is a period of time in which former world leaders are judged by 
> historians. Usually before history becomes legend and then myth. 
> Reagan I suspect will do well for a couple of significant reasons:
>
> He restored America's confidence after the debacles of Vietnam and 
> Iran. (Vietnam destroyed Johnson's Great Society and his presidency.)

Interestingly, as it gets repeated by every eulogy, that's completely 
false. One article I saw noted that American confidence in the 
government peaked a little at '84-6 but was back to the same levels 
post Iran-Contra as when he had become President. So he had no real 
effect on American confidence.

(And any confidence-destroyers list needs to include a certain GOP 
boondoggle.)

> He ended the cold war, destroyed the Warsaw Pact and brought eastern 
> Europe back into the western world. In process he never had to fire a 
> shot to do so. (Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford and 
> Carter couldn't do it.)
Oh, dear God. Where to start with that? If you want to give anyone in 
the US credit, give it to his Secretary of State for edging out the 
hawks and getting Ray-gun to actually talk to Moscow instead of 
threatening. But you should give most of the credit to Gorby, the 
failing Soviet system and an equal measure to every Cold War President.

> Too many world leaders are politicians first and statesman never.
> Regards,
> Greg

Like Reagan.