[Long Cut]

Iran declared war when they seized the American Embassy in 1979. That was an Act Of War by all definitions.

Over the intervening years, they have only confirmed it with their support of terrorism agains us.

I know why Jimmy Carter failed to declare war...a lack of stones. But Ronald Reagan's reluctance to do so, especially after the destruction of our embassy in Lebanon and the murders of our Marines there, was and is incomprehensible to me. It remains my one point of disagreement with his policies.

[af_vet_1981]

But Ronald Reagan's reluctance to do so, especially after the destruction of our embassy in Lebanon and the murders of our Marines there, was and is incomprehensible to me. It remains my one point of disagreement with his policies.

Yep, when we needed Gen. McCarthur we found Cap Weinberger and others.

[Dan(9698)]

You forget that the Dems had control of congress under Reagan.

He could not do anything that wasn't agreed to by congress.

[Right Wing Puppy]

The Soviet Union was still around in those days. Ronnie finally got the best of them in the end. Think about it.

[sully777]

Russia and Iran maintained a perpetual treaty of alliance in case of enemy attack on either country, signed around the turn of the 20th century. The Soviets considered this a serious issue during Reagan's administration.

Your take on Reagan's foreign policy is viewed through the current political lens. The USSR is gone. It was the second and opposing superpower in 1980-1988.

[prairiebreeze]

While agreeing with your assessment about the outcomes of Reagan's reluctance to deal with the Lebanon embassy and Marine barracks bombings, I suspect that he got the same poor advice that Bush 1 and possibly President Peanut did. That American intervention would "inflame and de-stabilize the region". Horrors of horrors.

That dire prediction worked pretty effectively for the ME despots and dictators for quite a while with American presidents. Until GW Bush that is....

Prairie