Comparing Bush to Reagan pays him a compliment
Eric Wilkinson
class of '01
Gina Cora makes a good point when she writes about President Bush that "the nation has not heard rhetoric like his since Reagan."
What she does not seem to realize is that Reagan was an immensely popular president, one who truly attracted voters from both sides. He firmly believed in his country, though he was deeply aware of its flaws (abortion saddened him terribly, for instance); he knew who our enemies were, was not afraid to confront them and was willing to call a spade a spade.
He was good friends with the Pope, though he himself was not even Catholic; and coming from very humble beginnings then rising to the top, he was comfortable with every stripe of American.
Apparently Gina thought she was insulting Bush by likening him to Reagan.
That may be an insult in Greenwich Village, but in most of our nation, it is still a compliment.
By the way, Gina points out that President Bush is proud to say "America will now work to annihilate the enemies of the 21st century — before they can do it to us." Should he not say so, or should he not be proud to say so?
Are we supposed to wait around for more attacks, as Father Baxter (among others) seems to think? Again, strange insult. We might as well fault him for thinking we should defend ourselves.
Eric Wilkinson
class of '01
Feb. 15, 2002
All Viewpoint Stories for Monday, February 18, 2002
