Posted on 12/29/2007 7:39:59 PM PST by ellery
The editors of National Review take aim at the editors of the New Hampshire Union Leader.
This seems to be another useful time to remind folks that the senior editors endorsed Romney, and that I wasn't one of those senior editors, I have no particular interest or intent of arguing with the senior editors on behalf of readers who think it is the wrong choice, and that griping to me about it just pretty much makes me cranky.
I see Mitt Romney is getting flak for this statement:
CURRY: Most analysts would say, governor, that the events of yesterday will help your chief opponents Rudy Giuliani and John McCain. Are you concerned, are you worried that your impact, that your campaign will be impacted negatively?
ROMNEY: Oh, I think we have to put the events of the world at a higher level than thinking about local politics. But I do believe as well that people recognize that what we want in a leader is a person who can actually guide America in a very challenging time. You look back to the — one of the great foreign policy leaders of our nation was Ronald Reagan. He was a governor, not a so-called foreign policy expert. He was a person who knew how to make difficult decisions and how to lead in times of crisis. And I think if you look at my life's experience you'll recognize that's what I bring to the table.
Romney deserves the grief he'll get, as a very strong case can be made that Reagan was indeed a "so-called foreign policy expert" by 1976, never mind 1980.
Ping — more of Romney “reinventing” Reagan...
That after disavowing Reagan as MA Gov.
Reagan understood world politics better than anyone in the State Department.
National Review vs. Union Leader, and an Out-of-Whack Assessment of Reagan
Heads up for round II
MittWitt is out of touch as usual.
It seems it makes some feel good to diss Reagan to push
themselves up.
Absolutely. I saw Governor Reagan debate William F. Buckley in the early 70's on the Panama Canal and Reagan more than held his own. Reagan had a better grasps of the facts and the people involved and of course was on the right side of the issue (don't give the canal away).
“Reagan understood world politics better than anyone in the State Department.”
“ROMNEY: Well, if we want somebody who has a lot of experience in foreign policy, we can simply go to the State Department and pluck out one of the tens of thousands of people who work there. They, of course, have been doing foreign policy all their careers. But that’s not how we choose a president. A president is not a foreign policy expert. “
I could never vote for someone that trashed Ronaldus Magnus.
I do not think Jim is right. How old are you? No one seemed to know what a deep thinker Reagan was until long after his presidency.
I loved Ronald Reagan, but he wasn’t perfect either.
It was not a diss on Reagan. Anti Mitt people here take great pleasure in calling names and distorting issues.
“That after disavowing Reagan as MA Gov.”
Romney switched his registration to independent, disapproved of Reagan and “the right”, he was against the “Contract with America” and from 1989 to 1993 he only gave money to liberal democrats in three different states, in 1994 donating to Planned Parenthood and personally attending their fundraiser, supporting no republican candidates during our conservative struggles, and the downfall of the Soviet Union.
‘Willard Mitt Romney donated $250 in 1992 to then-U.S. Rep. Dick Swett’s (D New Hampshire) successful re-election campaign. The one-term congressman served another term before losing to Republican Charles Bass in 1994. Two years later, Swett ran unsuccessfully against Republican Bob Smith for one of the Granite State’s U.S. Senate seats.
In 1992, the former Massachusetts governor and current Republican presidential contender also donated $250 to Rep. John J. La Falce (D New York) and $1,000 to Douglas Delano Anderson, an unsuccessful Democratic primary candidate for the U.S. Senate seat held by Utah Republican Jake Garn, who retired that year.
The two Democratic House members who Romney funded were solidly liberal. For 1992, Rep. Swett had a 32 rating (out of 100) from the American Conservative Union and an 85 from the liberal Americans for Democratic Action. That year, LaFalce scored a 12 ACU rating and a Swett-like 85 from the ADA.’
Reagan was a lifelong student of foreign policy. It seems to me to be the height of either cluelessness or cynicism for Romney to try to diminish Reagan’s foreign policy bona fides in order to try to pump up his own. From a two-minute Google:
Ronald Reagan was speaking out about the evils of communism in the 40s: “In 1945, he and his family, which now consisted of his wife, Jane Wyman, and his daughter, Maurren, adopted a baby boy named Michael. And as a board member of Green Actors Guild (SAG) since 1941, Reagan took more interest in political activities. National politics also held Reagan’s interest. Many times Reagan spoke of the evils of communism, and he worked hard to keep communist influences out of Hollywood. Because the SAG members were impressed by Reagan’s stand, they elected Reagan as their president in March of 1947, a position which he kept for six years.”
http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/bios/b4reaganronald.htm
From 1968: Reagan Criticizes U.S. Foreign Policy
The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973) - Washington, D.C.
Author: By Richard Corrigan Washington Post Staff Writer
Date: May 22, 1968
MIAMI BEACH, May 21 —California Gov. Ronald Reagan today accused the Democratic administration of backing away from Communist aggression around the world whenever hard decisions have had to be made.
From 1972: Reagan Hits McGovern Foreign Policy Stands
Los Angeles Times (1886-Current File) - Los Angeles, Calif.
Date: Jul 15, 1972
Start Page: A18
Pages: 1
Section: Part I
Text Word Count: 264
Troop reductions and foreign policy changes advocated by Democratic presidential candidate George S. McGovern “would be catastrophic for the world,” Gov. Reagan said...
The Romney campaign has kept up a steady stream of backhanded attacks on the Reagan legacy.
“The Romney campaign has kept up a steady stream of backhanded attacks on the Reagan legacy.”
Countless hours are spent defending Reagan against Romney freepers as well.
I think you forgot about Henry Kissinger....his foreign policy advisor.
I think you forgot about Henry Kissinger....his foreign policy advisor.”
Who was Kissinger advisor too?
Kissinger was Richard Nixon's foreign policy advisor.
“I think you forgot about Henry Kissinger....his foreign policy advisor.”
“Kissinger was Richard Nixon’s foreign policy advisor.”
A minor mistake and we all know that Kissinger never fully left the scene, that although Reagan and the conservatives saw him as mostly an enemy to their goals, Kissinger was unofficially a part of the crowd that the Reagan administration received input from.
Hopefully it is settled and we won’t have to got through 20 posts to cover the Kissinger thing.
In a side note, Jeane Kirkpatrick was a famous and well known member of the Reagan administration and his cabinet.
-Member, President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, 1985-1990
-Presidential Blue Ribbon Commission on Nuclear Products, 1985-1987
-Presidential Commission on Space, 1985-1987
-U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, 1981-1985
-Member, President Ronald Reagan’s Cabinet, 1981-1985
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeane_Kirkpatrick
‘Kirkpatrick then became a foreign policy adviser throughout Reagan’s 1980 campaign and presidency and, after his election to the presidency, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, a position she held for four years.’
‘At the 1984 Republican National Convention, Kirkpatrick delivered the memorable “Blame America First” keynote speech,[4] in which re-nominated Reagan by praising his administration’s foreign policy[5] while excoriating the leadership of what she called the “San Francisco Democrats”
Kirkpatrick, a member of the National Security Council, did not get along with either Secretary of State Haig or his successor, George Schultz. She disagreed with Schultz most notably on the Iran-Contra Affair, in which she supported skimming money off arms sales to fund the Contras.[5] Kirkpatrick and Schultz actually came to physical violence in their disagreement over whether to find extra funding for Nicaraguan contras, with Schultz telling Kirkpatrick that it was an “impeachable offense.”[1] Kirkpatrick wished to be Secretary of State or head of the National Security Council, which also did not help their relationship.[1] Shultz threatened to resign if Kirkpatrick was appointed National Security Adviser.[5] Kirkpatrick was more closely allied with Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and head of the CIA, William J. Casey.[9]
Reagan’s Ambassador to the UN
Kirkpatrick once said, “What takes place in the Security Council more closely resembles a mugging than either a political debate or an effort at problem-solving.”
According to Jay Nordlinger, on a visit with American dignitaries, Soviet human rights activist Andrei Sakharov said, “Kirkpatski, Kirkpatski, which of you is Kirkpatski?” When others pointed to Kirkpatrick, he said, “Your name is known in every cell in the Gulag,” because she had named Soviet political prisoners on the floor of the UN. [9] Kirkpatrick said she would only serve one term at the UN and stepped down in April 1985.[5]
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