Keep Reagan's Record in Balance.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-18-2000
Keep Reagan's Record in Balance.
67
Thu, 06-10-2004 - 9:57am

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29859-2004Jun9.html


The good that Ronald Reagan did is not being buried with his bones tomorrow, as Shakespeare's Mark Antony predicted of Caesar. Reagan's good is being disinterred and magnified. It is being raised to new and unrealistic heights that will live on, and hang heavily over his successors, in public expectations.


This is not to begrudge the 40th president the thunderous applause that has come from politicians, journalists, historians and citizens to mark Reagan's final bow. Ill should rarely be spoken of the dead. But it is puzzling how these assessments of Reagan's accomplishments have improved so dramatically and uniformly in the 16 years since he left office.


Perhaps this is how contemporary history is made or, in the electronic era, mismade and distorted. Reagan's growing reputation as the great victor in the Cold War who made Mikhail Gorbachev tear down the Berlin Wall depends on looking at Reagan and his times through the light cast by subsequent events.


The craving by Americans for uncluttered heroism -- for what is seen in retrospect as the order and clarity of the Cold War -- also powers this yearning for a near-mythical transformation of Reagan's death into a moment to sweep aside the dread and anguish of the wars in Iraq and against al Qaeda.


Yes, winners always write the history. But it is dangerously easy today to make the leap from that news footage of Reagan speaking at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to concluding that he came to office with a master plan to make victory in the Cold War inevitable. As one television executive said to me not long ago, "Today history is what we say it is."


To one who covered many of the key international events of that day, Reagan seemed in fact to come late to a realistic view of the Soviet Union and the world, and -- like most presidents -- to have improvised furiously and not always successfully in foreign affairs.


It is also easy in today's elegiac mood to forget how unpopular Reagan was abroad for most of his presidency, even among his peers. France's Francois Mitterrand once sputtered in rage at me when I asked about his ideological conflicts with Reagan over Soviet policies. Kremlin officials expressed private delight at Reagan's election because they would be able to "roll him."


That is no skin off Reagan's record. He was more right about the evil and the fate of Soviet imperialism than Mitterrand, Gorbachev and most other leaders of the day. He was far from the amiable dunce portrayed by his knee-jerk critics.


But the opposition that Reagan stirred should not be airbrushed out of the final photograph of his times. Nor can we ignore the fact that the analysis and policies that brought some breakthroughs with Moscow originated more with George Shultz at the State Department than at Reagan's White House.


The Wall collapsed a year after Reagan's successor had been chosen and had started to alter policies toward Moscow. That collapse was due more to the struggle in the 1980s of the citizens of Poland, Hungary, East Germany and other satellite nations than to new actions by Washington. Nor should we minimize the contribution that a half-century of common dedication by U.S. and West European citizens and their military forces made to the final collapse of the Soviet empire.


There were important costs that came with Reagan's undeniable successes. His confrontational style used in getting much-needed Pershing 2 missiles deployed in Europe helped prematurely end the career of West Germany's highly competent chancellor, Helmut Schmidt.


U.S. support extended to guerrillas to drive the Soviets out of Afghanistan has blown back in the form of al Qaeda and extreme instability in Central Asia. U.S. help to Saddam Hussein in Iraq also boomeranged. Iran-contra was not as great an aberration at the Reagan White House as it is often painted today.


The commentariat has made many of the right points about Reagan's uplifting personality and all the good and the fascinating that will live after him. Even if he was not a great president, he lived a great life from which we can all learn.


But if we airbrush and prettify history for the small screen and the front page, and ultimately for the books to come, we will not learn the most important lessons about mistakes that can be avoided. Let Reagan be Reagan, warts and all, for all time now.


The Man, the Myths
Don't believe everything you hear about Ronald Reagan.


http://slate.msn.com/id/2102060/


Gorby had the lead role, not Gipper.


>"In the collapse of communism he deserves credit not as an instigator, but an abettor. Best Supporting Actor."<


Quote from.........


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040610/COMARTIN10/TPComment/TopStories


Op-ed: REAGAN'S SHAMEFUL LEGACY


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=127&ncid=742&e=7&u=/ucru/20040608/cm_ucru/reagansshamefullegacy

cl-Libraone~

 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-20-2003
Sat, 06-12-2004 - 10:13pm
I know this is a little off topic here...

I work in the heart of Reagan Country Ventura County, CA. I work in a town called Newbury Park which is where the motorcade went through on it's way to Naval Air station, Point Mugu. I grew up in Simi Valley, CA where the library is located. I've always lived within 4 miles of the Library up until last Nov when I finally moved out of Ventura County, so when you say you can NOT get way from it, at least you didn’t live and work in the middle of it. I was stuck in traffic on the 405/101 when Nancy and the motorcade went through on Tuesday, then still trying to get to work I was on the 101 in Thousand Oaks when I was again stuck in the motorcade. How many people get to see the same motorcade in two different locations in one day? LOL Now, the CHP did an awesome job closing down the world’s busiest interchange at 7:30am on a Tuesday which is a big traffic day. So, as the motorcade went by and the Helicopter ahead road over I then had to high tail it out to Ventura County....Where as I stated earlier again stuck! I did make it to work after a two hour commute...But on Friday when most of the nation was watching the motorcade leaving DC to land again at Naval Air Station, Point Mugu I was again in the middle of the Reagan motorcade. Now in that area of Ventura County it is very rural not a lot of roads and every one pretty much takes the freeway to get from one end of town to another. 2000 Employees at my work 3000 Employees at Amgen Bio Company along with probably another few thousand of surrounding businesses and an expected 100,000 people in my little area, it was beginning to turn into a nightmare Sigalert. lol I left at 4:45 just in time to miss the motorcade, however there was a ton of people and the news of course standing ON the FREEWAY shoulders and over passes to see the motorcade again. Now, I'm a Dem that lived and works in Reagan country. But, I will say this about the entire week every thing with off without any problems and very very organized. I watched the DC ceremonies and the Reagan Library ceremony. I found it very very touching emtional and found myself crying at the moment when Nancy laid her head on the casket and the children rushing to her side. Did you see her mouth the words that she missed him...Very very touching and emotional. I can not put into words how I feel other than from the time that Reagan was in office in 1980 I was 13 years old. I always remember his speeches being very powerful. I never ever thought I would see that WALL come down in my life...So, this one is for the Gipper! and I know that Ronald "Dutch" Reagan will be waiting for his beloved Nancy when her time is up. What a true love story.




Edited 6/12/2004 10:18 pm ET ET by avhawk

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2003
Sun, 06-13-2004 - 10:16am
<>

I must admit that you have been inconvenienced by the production. I personally wasn't a fan of Reagan, although I must admit he had an excellent sense of humor and his policies weren't too offensive. My remarks were directed at the Republicans trying to promote Reagan's image, and certainly not to the man or his family. Alzheimer's disease is terrible, and Nancy has been an exceptionally loving wife. Their love affair is one to remember. But in a way I felt their pain was exploited for the benefit the RNC.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-20-2003
Sun, 06-13-2004 - 11:32am
Hey I'm not a fan of his political career nor is my husband and his parents in fact Ronald Reagan is the reason back when he was Gov. of CA my in-laws became Dems. I looked pasted his view on politics focused on the person he was rather than is politics which like you I didn't agree with either. That's why I did write that my post was a little off topic.

The inconvenience was only one week out of my life and really not a big deal. I found it funny that I could get caught in the same motorcade twice on the same day about 40 miles apart.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-18-2000
Sun, 06-13-2004 - 11:40am

I enjoyed reading your first hand account. Thanks.


Other than that I've abstained from TV viewing because of overload.


>"motorcade twice on the same day about 40 miles apart"<


Some people have all the luck.

 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-23-2003
Sun, 06-13-2004 - 2:37pm

Yes, thank you for posting your experiences!


iVillage Member
Registered: 10-20-2003
Sun, 06-13-2004 - 5:12pm
I was shocked how the CHP could close a major freeway, and one of the busiest interchanges in the world that I drive through everyday. It was interesting to see how they get things done and how fast they did it during rush hour. Then before you knew it they were gone. After all these years of driving in Los Angeles I really don't find traffic a laughing matter since there is more behind why we have so much grid lock.

I watched a few specials on Reagan learned some things I never knew. I watched Friday the services in DC and Simi Valley at the Library not a big deal being a Dem. I agree there has been overexposure. But all in all he was a popular president and this is what he wanted for his funeral services.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-23-2003
Sun, 06-13-2004 - 6:48pm
I've driven in the LA area...I do understand.

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