6.09.2004
We win and they lose
[Posted 12:51 PM by Stefan Beck]
Pejman has a tribute to Reagan at TechCentralStation:
Reagan was advised by many to continue the policy of d�tente that had been practiced by Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger. But while most policymakers were content to push the ideas of yesterday, Reagan had already moved on to formulating the battle plans of tomorrow. He believed that the Soviet system was on the verge of collapse, and that he could bring the Cold War to a victorious end. In comments to his future National Security Advisor, Richard Allen, Reagan said, “My idea of American policy toward the Soviet Union is simple, and some would say simplistic. It is this: We win and they lose. What do you think of that?”
It worked. But don’t tell that to Tom Brokaw or Dan Rather, who feel that too many words have been spent on the man who smashed the greatest tyranny of the twentieth century. Could it be that Reagan’s ultimatum–we win and they lose–resonates too strongly with our current situation? We have once again a president accused of being too “simplistic,” too allergic to “nuance,” in his approach to global terrorism. Reagan reminds Americans that simple resolve can see us through to the end. When John Kerry halts his campaign out of respect for Reagan’s passing, one can’t help suspecting he wants his opponents to do the same–so they don’t take the opportunity to make these connections prominent.