Once again it's from Democrats. Majority Leader Reid: “I’m a great believer in the Ronald Reagan theory of diplomacy,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced last week. “Ronald Reagan was a true anti-Communist. ...But what did Ronald Reagan do when he became president? The first day, he sent his emissaries off to talk to the evil Soviet Union.”
Ugh. Barack Obama tried this same tack in a Democratic presidential debate a number of weeks ago, and we addressed it in this space. Again: yes, Reagan established back-channel, at-the-time-unknown contacts with the Soviets. But he wouldn't meet with them publicly just for the sake of meeting with them. He didn't hold a summit meeting with a Soviet leader until 1985. He wouldn't make major concessions just to get a deal. And in response to all this toughness, Democrats like Senator Reid screamed their opposition to Reagan for most of his presidency, castigating him as a warmonger, as a danger to peace in the world, etc etc etc. Now they ignore all that and try to cast themselves as the Gipper's admirers. I suppose we shouldn't be surprised.
