Saint Ronald

[UpInArms]

http://slate.msn.com/id/2090834/

Thunderous protest has persuaded CBS to cancel The Reagans, its miniseries about America's 40th president and his second wife. (The series will air instead on Showtime, which shares a corporate parent with CBS.) It isn't especially troubling that CBS would bow to angry protesters in canceling The Reagans, given that the miniseries itself, if at all typical of the genre, is likely a piece of hackwork. (Those who live by popular tastes, die by popular tastes.) But it is troubling that the public, or at least a highly influential segment of it, has apparently ruled any criticism of President Reagan out of bounds. When did the Gipper become St. Ronald?

<snip>

Reagan was no doddering fool, but his rather extreme mental and emotional detachment were at the time noted not only by his critics but by many of his political allies. Liberals like Chatterbox who struggled to persuade themselves that Reagan had more on the ball than he seemed saw their worst suspicions confirmed in the memoirs of former Reagan aides. Here's former chief of staff Donald Regan in For the Record:

In the four years that I served as Secretary of the Treasury I never saw President Reagan alone and never discussed economic philosophy or fiscal and monetary policy with him one-on-one. From first day to last at Treasury, I was flying by the seat of my pants. The President never told me what he believed or what he wanted to accomplish in the field of economics.

Here's speechwriter Peggy Noonan, describing her first encounter with President Reagan in the White House in What I Saw at the Revolution:

I was surprised how big his hearing aid is, or rather how aware of it you are when you're with him. There was a quizzical look on his face as he listened to what was going on around him, and I thought, He doesn't really hear very much, and his appearance of constant good humor is connected to his deafness. He misses much of what is not said directly to him, but he assumes it is good.

...more...

[Lefty48197]

1. RR taught a whole generation of Americans to hate those that they disagree

with. I'm not sure who taught the right wingers that censorship is ok.

[ithacan]

2. RR was buddies with Saddam

he armed Saddam with chemical and biological weapons, gave Saddam satellite info to coordinate his chemical weapons attacks on Iranian soldiers, prevented the US Senate and UN Security Council from denouncing Saddam for using chemical weapons, preventing the State Dept. from listing Iraq as a state supporting terrorism, all at the same time Saddam was undertaking atrocities against civilians...
For full details see U.S. Diplomatic and Commercial Relationships with Iraq, 1980 - 2 August 1990
http://www.cam.ac.uk/societies/casi/info/usdocs/usiraq80s90s.html

"St" Ronnie indeed!

[Lefty48197]

3. Let's not forget that RR sold rockets to the Ayatollah

I think they were TOW missiles. Thanks moran. That' was almost as brilliant as selling shoulder fired rockets to the Mujahadeen.

[OldSoldier]

5. He also sold Improved HAWK missiles

The I-HAWK is a surface-to-air missile made by Raytheon. It was a corps asset--it's too big to be used at division. It was replaced by the Patriot system.

[JackSwift]

4. They couldn't possibly tell the truth about Reagan in a miniseries

because it would be far too un-kind to him. While affable, he had no redeeming qualities unless you count his quick penchant for nasty one-liners a redeeming quality. Perhaps in a comedian, but not in a statesman. He was a lousy father, a rapist,