It appears that at the moment any mention of Ronald Reagan is a thought crime in much of the liberal blogosphere, as well as in the Clinton and Edwards camps. In reviewing the recent smears on Obama based upon misrepresenting his statement on Ronald Reagan, I noted that Hillary Clinton’s own campaign web site contains a statement in which Clinton lists Reagan among her favorite presidents. Perhaps that comes from being an old Goldwater Girl herself.
Clinton supporters now say that she only said that she included Reagan among a list of presidents whose pictures she would hang up at the White House. Even that would be far more of an act of support for Ronald Reagan than anything Barack Obama actually said. I guess at least that excuse would be better than a Clintonian discussion over what the meaning of “favorite” is.
In addition to Bill and Hillary Clinton, John Edwards has attacked Obama with similar distortions of what Obama actually said. It turns out that not only has Clinton made favorable mention of Reagan, but Edwards has also been exposed as having committed this thought crime. In the September/October issue of Foreign Affairs Edwards wrote:
We need a new path, one that will lead to reengagement with the world and restoration of the United States’ moral authority in the community of nations. President Harry Truman once said, “No one nation alone can bring peace. Together, nations can build a strong defense against aggression and combine the energy of free men everywhere in building a better future for all.” For 50 years, presidents from Truman and Dwight Eisenhower to Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton built strong alliances and deepened the world’s respect for us.
While really not objectionable, this statement from Edwards is a far more favorable statement about the policies of Ronald Reagan than anything Barack Obama actually said.
Other bloggers debunking these attacks include Steve Benen (here and here), Daily Kos, and Matthew Yglesias.
