Tammy Bruce: On This, the Anniversary of His Death, A Tribute to President Reagan

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On This, the Anniversary of His Death, A Tribute to President Reagan

**Bumped up from the 5th, as promised**

Posted by Tammy · June 9, 2007 06:15 PM · Permalink
Hero

Comments

Thank you for sharing this, Tammy. Thank you, so much.

Dear God, Please send us another Ronald Reagan.

Posted by: Harpo at June 5, 2007 11:13 AM

Thanks for posting this, Tammy. I miss him.

Posted by: squeaky79 at June 5, 2007 11:26 AM

I am in complete and total agreement with the folk above.
Even after GWB slandering Ronnie for 2.3 years I still think Ronnie was our best President since Washington. Bar none!

I was president of my college YD's in 63. In 64 I watched THE SPEECH and voted for Barry and have been a Ronnie man ever since. Not a Republican. I voted for several Dem since then did not convert till 1980.
In my mind history has proved that the Texan who won in 64 was similar to the Texan who won in 04. I voted for the later and against the former. I got 1 out of 2 right. Bat 500 and you can make $2,000,000 a month!

Posted by: Rod at June 5, 2007 12:11 PM

Tammy,

While I miss Ronald Reagan and have great admiration for him and his Presidency, I would like to put the spotlight on some hypocrisy.

You and many of your "followers/listeners" rail against President Bush for being too soft on the terrorists, promoting big government, immigration and for his "amnesty even if they say it's not amnesty" plan.

Like you, I am totally ticked off at the President for some if not all of these subjects. I have supported him through thick and thin. I have much respect for the man and for some of his accomplishments in office. Sure, the war could be going better, and maybe it will once the full surge force is applied...but I digress.

Ronald Reagan is a hero of mine, but you and many Americans are looking through rose colored glasses. When our barracks were attacked in Lebanon, 241 Americans died...here is some info on that.

"This was the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States Marine Corps since the Battle of Iwo Jima (2,500 in one day) of World War II and the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States military since the 243 killed on 31st January 1968 — the first day of the Tet offensive in the Vietnam war. The attack remains the deadliest post-World War II attack on Americans overseas." (Answers.com)

What was the response?

"President Ronald Reagan called the attack a "despicable act" and pledged to keep a military force in Lebanon. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger said there would be no change in the U.S.'s Lebanon policy. U.S. Vice President George Bush toured the Marine bombing site on October 26 and said the U.S. "would not be cowed by terrorists."

The Marines were moved offshore where they could not be targeted. On February 7, 1984, President Reagan ordered the Marines to begin withdrawal from Lebanon. This was completed on February 26; the rest of the MNF was withdrawn by April.

Now, I don't bring this up to sully President Reagan, but if GWB did this, what would you say? Everybody knew that Hezbollah was behind the attack, but we blinked and fled. Once again, Iran attacks us and gets no response. http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/05/30/iran.barracks.bombing/

As for spending, President Reagan (like President Bush) increased Government spending in a big way...1980 fiscal spending was 590 billion dollars, and in his last year in office it was 1.14 trillion dollars! National debt went from 800 billion to more than two trillion dollars. While there was a lot of Defense spending, I'm sure you could say the same about today. The big difference is that President Reagan wanted smaller government, but was pretty much hog tied by Congress...President Bush HAD a Republican Congress...and he's not a true Conservative...Reagan made cuts..Bush not so. Their policies did spur the economy and "Wall Street", leading to a healthy economy, but once again, although they have done the same thing more or less, you judge them differently. Why?

Last but not least, immigration and amnesty.

In 1986, President Reagan granted amnesty to 2 1/2 million illegal aliens on the premise that certain safeguards would be put into place to prevent any future need for immigration amnesty...we all know how that turned out. While President Bush is saying it's not amnesty, it is. Surely, President Reagan had to know that illegal immigration would continue...he didn't put troops on the border or beef up the Border Patrol. So I ask again...why do you judge President Bush so harshly, but not President Reagan? President Bush is only doing what he said he was going to do...so if nothing else, he's a man of his word.

In closing, I hope and pray that President Bush's "Immigration Plan" goes down in flames, that he cuts back on spending...and most of all, that he (and America) prevails in the fight against terrorism. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Semper Fi.

Posted by: Kevin at June 5, 2007 01:48 PM

Awww, Tammy. This was just what the doctor ordered. Reagan was the best. A singular man in every way.

I'd like to respond to Kevin's post. There is no hypocrisy here. Reagan certainly got his fair share of criticism from his own party, since his administration and after, for your short list of faults there. The difference now is that we need to be informed about what Bush is doing right now because we can actually do something about it! Bush is in office right now! We can write, e-mail, or call to tell him our mind about his management of the war, his bloated spending, and his amnesty bill. Reagan is dead.

The most we can hope for is that he visits Bush in the night with some words of wisdom. (The least might be that he gives Bush some pointers on articulating his positions a little better, eliminating malapropisms, and not mixing his metaphors.) Thank you for your service to our country, sir. No disrespect intended even though I disagree. Semper Fi.

Posted by: appletown at June 5, 2007 02:04 PM

Thank you so much for posting this Tammy.

It is true that Reagan was not perfect, he made mistakes. When he listened to James (f**k the Jews) Baker and pulled out of Lebanon after the Marine barracks bombing it was a mistake. I can't imagine Sandra Day O'Conner being considered any the bit a mistake.

But in spite of his mistakes, Reagan took us to a better place. Not because he always acted correctly, but because in his heart, HE BELIEVED, in America, in US, and by extension, in ME. He believed in the "Shinning City on a Hill".

Occasionally, Bush has acted in this fashion. When he told Dick Cheney, on 9/11, "we have to get these guys", he was much like the Great Man. When he called Iran, Syria, and Korea the "Axis of Evil" he was more Reagan and less George Herbert Walker Bush. This current immigration bill is less of the former, more of the later.

Appletown, I named my daughter Reagan, so that I would hear his name every single day. I tell my children that "no one dies as long as you keep their memory alive in your heart". The memory of Ronald Reagan is alive in my heart.

Posted by: Marshall at June 6, 2007 09:35 AM

Remember, Reagan's immediate reaction to the attacks was to retailate (something I wish he'd done so these dirtbags would have had a point of reference to look back on for the next 20 years, a la Khadafi). He was subsequently talked out of ordering a military strike by his cabinet (they must have made SOME argurment against it).

Yes, President Reagan gave amnesty to some illegal immigrants...but not a mere six years after the worst attack on US soil in history. As we kave just seen in the last few weeks, the enemy lives, breathes and works amongst us - and GWB wants to give them green cards and health care. Brilliant.

The main difference between Reagan and GWB is that RR at least TRIED to do the right things at the right time...Bush's second term has been one day after another where I think the man wakes up in the morning and throws a dart at a cork biard full of insane ideas, and decides that's what he's going to focus on that day.

As has been pointed out - Reagan was not a perfect man - but he was a GOOD man. He had ideas and ideals and knew the only way to get the American public to listen to something was to explain it to them - not play games with semantics.

A man can be earnest and mean well - but if his ideas are half-hearted and his ideals half-baked, all the good intentions don't mean a damn thing.

Posted by: PeteRFNY at June 6, 2007 11:00 AM

You know, the images of people emotionally saluting his casket brought tears to my eyes. I doubt any president will inspire that kind of reaction from the people ever again.

Posted by: helpunderdog at June 9, 2007 07:31 PM

It just occurred to me, as I watched this a second time, the principle difference between Reagan and his presidential successors: Ronald Reagan BELIEVED in us, the American People.

The clowns who came after him, didn't believe in us, don't believe in us, never will believe in us. A man who believes in the American People wouldn't allow so many to be murdered with impunity around the globe while he "got his thang on" in the Oval Office (Clinton) or refuse to secure the Nation's boarders after 3,000 Americans were murdered by filthy animals who used the broken immigration system to do it, simply because he can't get his own selfish way on how to fix the problems within the immigration system (W. Bush).

Also, Ronnie never talked about "jobs Americans WON'T do" or got a tummy ache when the time came to face a tyrannical Russian savage.

What we need now, perhaps more than ever in the history of our Nation, is someone who, like President Reagan, believed at the very core of his being, that WE the American People ARE a fair, just, and principled people, worthy of a leader who believes in us even when WE might not even believe in US.

When THAT person arrives, it will be the beggining of the end of THIS "...long national nightmare.".

Posted by: RagingBullmoose at June 9, 2007 08:29 PM

The sad part is that the some people can't stop attacking President Reagan even in a tribute on the third anniversary of his death.

President Ronald Reagan was one of the reasons I joined the USAF in 1984 - and his spirit will live on long past any of the Reagan deniers, just as the United Stated transcended the Soviet Union, exactly as Reagan predicted.

Posted by: John H Schneider II at June 10, 2007 06:58 AM

I loved him. First I thought he was my Granfather, then I wanted him for my father. Now I just want him, period.

The best President we've ever had. The best leader in all the world. Most handsome, cute, and charming too. I see why Mrs. Reagan is so sad.

Posted by: Maxine Weiss at June 10, 2007 11:45 AM

Thanks for the post, Ms. Bruce. Reagan said it best: "All in all, not bad. Not bad at all." Thanks again.

Posted by: MLR at June 10, 2007 09:35 PM