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Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Reagan's Biggest Headache

 



Friends, believe it or not, there was a moment in Reagan's presidency when some were questioning whether "The Gipper" could retain the trust and confidence of the American people.  It was during the "Iran-Contra" scandal that plagued the Reagan Administration in 1986-87.  The scandal was immensely complex, but the upshot was that Reagan's involvement was sufficiently vague that he was never himself under any legal cloud.  Of course, that vagueness was partly the result of the destruction of evidence by several of the principals in the scandal.  Be that as it may, Reagan recovered his footing and left office greatly loved by most Americans.  No wonder conservatives think of the Reagan era as the "good ole days"!  Oh, he also kicked the USSR's behind, in his spare time.  That's nifty too.  In any case, in this week's Newsmaker Show, Brian and I delve deep into Iran-Contra, and, when we've slaked our thirst there, we also talk about DJT's legal troubles and the state of the polls heading into November.  Don't miss out!


https://wlea.net/newsmaker-august-31-2022-dr-nick-waddy/

5 comments:

  1. Ray to Nick

    Reagan's adventures in Central America are one of the reasons that region is so screwed up today. His administration was on the tail end of The United Fruit Company down there.

    Did Reagan really "kick the USSR's behind, in his spare time?" Think about it!

    Does it ever dawn on anyone's brain that things don't always happen because some fool in the U.S. Government wills it to be so?

    As for November, you can count on the Left to do everything and anything they can do to sabotage the polls and prevent a "Red Wave Victory". If that happens, you can plan on a dictatorship in this country at least until the middle of this century.

    Maybe the rapture will come before then. Maybe I'll get "Left Behind".

    I see where some assholes are having a conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming to plan our finances. Maybe the place will have a gigantic volcanic eruption while they are there. Yellowstone is due for such an event anyway.

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  2. Ray to Nick

    The Soviet Union (USSR) did not "fall" (whatever the hell that means in historical jargon), because Reagan said this, or did that. It fell of its own accord, and the Russian adventure in Afghanistan had a lot to do with that. Also, Iron Curtain satellite countries like Hungary and Czechoslovakia were ripe for release from the "grip of the bear" having previously revolted in 1956 and 1968 respectively. So Reagan's presidency didn't tip any more scales than what were already tipped in Communist Europe.

    Again, Reagan created a huge mess in Central America with the Iran-Contra scandal. Hard to believe he did not know what was brewing. In any event, it was a stinking deal and particularly in the wake of Iran's violation of international law by storming the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979.

    Finally, I have no nostalgia for the Reagan era any more than I will have for the current era. In the end, it's all about a bunch a egotistical fools imposing their own follies on the general population. This includes politicians on the right and left.

    If nothing else, Reagan was a far better actor in the White House than he ever was in Hollywood.

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  3. Ouch! Boy, Ray doesn't like Nixon OR Reagan (or Trump, apparently). I'm beginning to think you're a curmudgeon, Ray. No wonder you're my role model...

    I think you're a little hard on Reagan, though. Central America is screwed up for a lot of reasons. The "war on drugs" is probably at the top of the list. Reagan didn't invent that. And, as for the Cold War, sure, Reagan didn't singlehandedly win it, but he did continue our efforts to negotiate with the Soviets and developed a rapport with Gorby. That's the complete opposite of what many talking heads predicted. Reagan was supposed to be the vacuous blowhard who backed us into WWIII. Instead, he played his hand as a Cold War president with surprising subtlety and restraint. That deserves some kudos.

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  4. Ray to Nick

    No matter what, I will take Reagan over ALL of the fools we have had in the presidency since he left office, jelly beans included. He was a decent guy.

    As for Nixon, I never did like him. I think he was a shady character at best. He certainly did put the screws to us by officially recognizing the PRC, as did FDR by recognizing the Soviet Union, and under Stalin at that.

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  5. Agreed, Ray: Reagan was several cuts above almost all the presidents we've had since. I was optimistic about Dubya at first, but he really let me down after 9/11. He let the hawks have their way.

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