Aaron Goldstein: Does Obama Really Admire Reagan?
[Aaron Goldstein is a Canadian-born author and American political commentator.]
The day before his State of the Union address, President Obama took to the pages of USA Today to sing the praises of Ronald Reagan. And why not? With the Reagan centennial is less than a fortnight away it can do Obama no harm to write a few kind words about The Gipper. Obama thus begins his tribute:
Ronald Wilson Reagan was a believer. As a husband, a father, an entertainer, a governor and a president, he recognized that each of us has the power -- as individuals and as a nation -- to shape our own destiny. He had faith in the American promise; in the importance of reaffirming values like hard work and personal responsibility; and in his own unique ability to inspire others to greatness.
Obama's words are nice, pleasant and inoffensive. Yet in reading them there's something that seems boilerplate about them. It's as if he's going through the motions. If you remove the references to governor and president, Obama could have very well been writing about Neil Diamond.
So does President Obama admire the 40th President? Yes he does. But not in the manner expressed in the USA Today article. If one wants to know what Obama really thinks about Reagan one should consider his remarks before Democrats in Columbia, South Carolina, as he was battling Hillary Clinton in that state's primary in January 2008...
Read entire article at American Spectator
The day before his State of the Union address, President Obama took to the pages of USA Today to sing the praises of Ronald Reagan. And why not? With the Reagan centennial is less than a fortnight away it can do Obama no harm to write a few kind words about The Gipper. Obama thus begins his tribute:
Ronald Wilson Reagan was a believer. As a husband, a father, an entertainer, a governor and a president, he recognized that each of us has the power -- as individuals and as a nation -- to shape our own destiny. He had faith in the American promise; in the importance of reaffirming values like hard work and personal responsibility; and in his own unique ability to inspire others to greatness.
Obama's words are nice, pleasant and inoffensive. Yet in reading them there's something that seems boilerplate about them. It's as if he's going through the motions. If you remove the references to governor and president, Obama could have very well been writing about Neil Diamond.
So does President Obama admire the 40th President? Yes he does. But not in the manner expressed in the USA Today article. If one wants to know what Obama really thinks about Reagan one should consider his remarks before Democrats in Columbia, South Carolina, as he was battling Hillary Clinton in that state's primary in January 2008...