August 02, 2004
Ron Reagan speaks: The Case Against George W. Bush
(in Sept. issue of Esquire).
Perhaps others have said it before and I missed it, but Ron reminds us that in the last Presidential Debates it was Bush that pledged a more "humble" foreign policy. "I would take the use of force very seriously," he said. "I would be guarded in my approach." Other countries would resent us "if we're an arrogant nation." He sniffed at the notion of "nation building." "Our military is meant to fight and win wars. . . . And when it gets overextended, morale drops."
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"The real
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Deflating George W. Bush is all well and good, but the article makes Reagan out to be a saint. Replace Ron Jr's images of Abu Gharib with Contras burning rural schools and El Salvadoran death squads killing kids and priests. The Bush II and Reagan adminstrations are a lot more alike than Ron Jr. wants us to believe-- both men are/were stupid, stupid puppets of extremely selfish men. And the puppeteers are doing everything they can to grab as much for their pals as they can while they hide behind Jesus and the flag. In fact, it's mostly the same fucking people running both administrations from Cheney on down. The only difference between Reagan and Bush is that Reagan's puppet was more charming. If Reagan were my dad, I'd lie to myself too, I guess.
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Kerensky Who was Reagan's puppeteer? Bush Sr.? I'm not disagreeing, just curious...
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From the article: "Bush apologists can smilingly excuse his malopropisms and vagueness as the plainspokenness of a man of action, but watching Bush flounder when attempting to communicate extemporaneously, one is left with the impression that he is ineloquent not because he can't speak but because he doesn't bother to think." From "When Harry Met Sally" Jess: Man, that's cold. Harry: Ah... Jess: No, listen, I'm a writer. I know dialogue, and that is particularly harsh.
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Text of Ron Reagan's speech The Right on Ron Reagan's Speech
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Some non-believers hail Ron Reagan Jr.'s speech at the Democratic convention as a political milestone for secularists.
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Who was Reagan's puppeteer? Bush Sr.? Certainly, he played a role. He's a former head of the CIA, and a very smart man. I always found him especially chilling, because he obviously knew that his lies were just that. When Bush Sr. said that we were going to war to protect democracy in Kuwait, a country where women couldn't even vote, you knew that he was lying. You can argue that Bush II and Reagan were dumb enough for their handlers to convince them that they were working in the public interest. Certainly, Reagan's strings were pulled by Cheney (who was Reagan's Secretary of Defense), Bush Sr., James Baker, Al Haig, and William Bennett.
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From the democratic speech: ". . .and compelled to see others in need as fellow angels on an often difficult path. . ." Odd language for a secularist/atheist. One might say he was only waxing poetic, but it is difficult to deny that it is a religiously-charged (decidedly nonsecular) term.
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Who was Reagan's puppeteer? And his nemesis, at least as far as Iran-Contra was concerned, was none other than John Kerry.
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homunculus: Years of reading comic books (I mean graphic novels) kept me from being too surprised at this change of affiliation. The offspring of a superhero or super villain often changes sides to fight with their former enemy. However, I also wonder if Reagan, Jr. can really be trusted -- look for him to betray the League of Democrats in a few years to head up a new super-team of costumed villains, many of whom will be bred from stem cells and aborted foetuses.
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Kerensky - Cheney was DefSec under the first Bush Administration; Reagan had Weinberger and Carlucci.
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wonder if Reagan, Jr. can really be trusted c.f. Green Goblin et filius
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I wish Ron Jr. would steer clear of mentions of his father. For one thing, it's not necessary, since what we need to do is concentrate on improving the current situation. Secondly, I don't think he can assess his father with the necessary objectivity. I don't even really blame him for this, but he's only going to weaken his arguments about the current administration if he goes on about how his father "crapped bigger ones than George Bush."
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Party of Stem Cells: The Democrats' new wedge issue. An injection of stem cells could be what Bush needs
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"A Newsweek poll after Reagan's speech found that 23 percent who heard it were more likely to vote for Kerry after listening to it." I don't think Bush really gives a damn about the ethics of stem cell research, and their religious base isn't going anywhere. I'll bet he and Rove are going to take Zogby's advice and embrace stem cell research... at least through the election.
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Laura Bush vs. Ron Reagan.
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"Imagine instead, he adds, if an IVF clinic were on fire. Is there anyone who would save the fertilized eggs in the freezer instead of a child?"
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Ron Reagan vs. Laura Bush.
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Michael Kinsley: "As someone with a loved one (myself, as it happens) who has the disease (Parkinson's) for which stem cells hold the most promise, please allow me to say: Thank you so much, Mrs. Bush, for trying to make sure that I don't get too hopeful."
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Stem Cell Research, Alzheimer's, and Misrepresenting The Washington Post