A Nice Guy's Nasty Policies
For worse, Ronald Reagan was both more and less than he seemed
robertscheer.com
June 8, 2004 – I liked Ronald Reagan, despite the huge divide between us politically. Reagan was a charming old pro who gave me hours of his time in a series of interviews beginning in 1966 when he was running for governor, simply because he enjoyed the give and take. In fact, I often found myself defending the Gipper whenever I was confronted with an East Coast pundit determined to denigrate anyone, particularly actors, from my adopted state. Yet, looking back at his record, I am appalled that I warmed to the man as much as I did.
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EXCERPT:
Let it be remembered, then, that in the closing scene of his presidency Reagan embraced the peacemakers, rejecting the cheerleaders of Armageddon and was then loudly castigated by the very neoconservatives – most vociferously Richard Perle – who have claimed the Reagan mantle for the post-Cold War militarism of the current administration. |
