Ronald Reagan: The Original Cutter & Runner

[populistdriven]

by JOE LAKE
Ronald Reagan is the frequent subject of hagiographic works by a range of people. His admirers continue to push for renaming all sorts of buildings, airports, schools and roads with his name. John Kline wants to get Reagan’s face on money, some want his mug on Mt. Rushmore, and the Republicans running for president mention his name more than their own! Where will it end?

Too often they gloss over Reagan’s many shortcomings--especially when it comes to terrorism. This list isn’t exhaustive, but it is illustrative of the many attacks visited upon U.S. citizens and interests during the Reagan years--and his subsequent missteps, mistakes or lack of response. Some will find these facts enlightening if not disconcerting, especially since these same admirers of Reagan claim that under Clinton, terrorists acted with impunity and little fear of retaliation. Those same people conveniently forget that terrorists were extremely active and successful during Reagan’s eight years in office--and Reagan’s administration was ineffective in combating them. He even laid the foundation of something Republicans are loath to admit and hope nobody notices: cutting & running (Beirut, circa 1984). Let’s look at the six years when most of the action took place: 1981, 1983-86, and 1988.

~snip~

Reagan: a president who planned his moves according to an astrologer’s recommendations. A president who often confused fantasy with reality, and reel life with real life. Reagan: as much a product of Hollywood as those who are excoriated by the Religious Right today. A phony warrior ensconced safely in Hollywood making B-grade movies while the nation was at war. And the original cutter and runner: He withdrew the Marines from Beirut (although he couched it in terms of moving to more defensible positions) in February 1984, four months after the barracks bombing. Did any of those terrorists follow us home?

So when Republicans invoke Reagan, let’s applaud them, and ask when they’ll follow in his footsteps and “cut & run” from Iraq. We’ll even allow them to replace “cut & run” with “deploy to more defensible positions.” Maybe they would like to consult an astrologer first?

http://www.pulsetc.com/article.php?sid=3243