April 13, 2010

When Reagan was in office, he made it clear that he didn't like nuclear weapons and wished they were all gone. He also took steps to reduce them and wanted further reductions after he left office. Here is what he said during his presidency:

May 16, 1983, “I can’t believe that this world can go on beyond our generation and on down to succeeding generations with this kind of weapon on both sides poised at each other without someday some fool or some maniac or some accident triggering the kind of war that is the end of the line for all of us. And I just think of what a sigh of relief would go up from everyone on this earth if someday–and this is what I have–my hope, way in the back of my head–is that if we start down the road to reduction, maybe one day in doing that, somebody will say, ‘Why not all the way? Let’s get rid of all these things.’”

May 22, 1984, “Most of the people have been hearing in political dialog from one side, since we’ve been here in the 3 1/2 years, that I somehow have an itchy finger and am going to blow up the world. And that has all been duly reported by so many of you that that is the tone that the people have been getting. And it doesn’t do me any good to tell you that, having seen four wars in my lifetime, I don’t know of anyone, in or out of government that is more determinedly seeking peace than I am. And my goal is the total elimination of nuclear weapons. If we can get those fellows back to the table and get them to start down that road of mutual reduction, then they might find out what common sense it would mean to eliminate them.”

October 20, 1986, “It is my fervent goal and hope…that we will someday no longer have to rely on nuclear weapons to deter aggression and assure world peace. To that end the United States is now engaged in a serious and sustained effort to negotiate major reductions in levels of offensive nuclear weapons with the ultimate goal of eliminating these weapons from the face of the earth.”

March 25, 1988, “As I have indicated in previous statements to the Congress, my central arms control objective has been to reduce substantially and ultimately to eliminate nuclear weapons and rid the world of the nuclear threat. The prevention of the spread of nuclear explosives to additional countries is an indispensable part of our efforts to meet this objective. I intend to continue my pursuit of this goal with untiring determination and a profound sense of personal commitment.”

http://www.politicususa.com/en/limbaugh-reagan-obama

This issue is headlines now because Obama is wrapping up a nuclear arms deal in a process that started with Nixon and ratcheted up by Reagan years ago. To make things more uncomfortable for Republicans, Anderson Cooper said that Obama was doing what Reagan did and wondered why Republicans were criticizing Obama for it.

The reasons are these:

Hatred and racism is at the core of the Republican Party. This includes their teabaggers.

Comparing Obama to Reagan is blasphemous in Republican eyes because Obama is a Democrat.

Over the years, Republicans have rewritten history, especially about Reagan. They have warped what he has said to fit their views, they have lied, obscured the facts and attacked anyone in their way. Now, it catches up to them.

Right now, Obama does act a lot like Reagan because both want an end to nuclear weapons. Republicans need to stop deluding themselves and own up to this comparison, for Reagan's sake.