I was reading Tom Knapp’s excellent evisceration of Hugh Hewitt’s absurd assertion that Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani are the closest closest the GOP has to “another Reagan.” And it got me to thinking about the Gipper’s legacy with respect to Iran.
Quoth Knapp:
Ronald Reagan’s administration worked deals with Iran (“arms for hostages”). Yes, there was also some sabre-rattling, but nothing approaching the level of moronic brinksmanship practiced the last few years by the Busheviks and their Osama-Enablertarian supporters in the GOP.
The two most reliable modes of pandering for the 2008 Republican presidential candidates have been to (1) evoke Reagan and (2) demonize Iran. But think about it: Not only did Reagan negotiate with Iran, he sold them frigging weapons. I’m not sure what it means, but it makes you wonder if today’s GOP base would really welcome a new Reagan if one came along. And before any Republican apologists try to rationalize that “we’re living in different times,” save it. Iran was a sworn enemy of the U.S., perhaps even moreso in the 1980s than today.