Senator Clinton is all over Barack Obama over Obama's alleged praise for the policies of Ronald Reagan.
Not surprisingly, she distorts Senator Obama's comments, which noted Reagan's political success in assembling a working majority for policies Obama clearly and strongly opposed.
Somewhat more surprising, Senator Obama is making the same insight that another gifted candidate, a certain William Jefferson Clinton, made 16 years ago....
EJ Dionne tells the story in the Latest New Republic.
http://www.tnr.com/...
As Dionne puts it: "Bill Clinton used to sound a lot like Barack Obama, which makes his recent outbursts all the more disheartening....
Money quote:
It was a remarkable moment: A young, free-thinking presidential hopeful named Bill Clinton sat down with reporters and editors at The Washington Post in October 1991 and started saying things most Democrats wouldn't allow to pass their lips.
Ronald Reagan, Clinton said, deserved credit for winning the Cold War. He praised Reagan's "rhetoric in defense of freedom" and his role in "advancing the idea that communism could be rolled back."
"The idea that we were going to stand firm and reaffirm our containment strategy, and the fact that we forced them to spend even more when they were already producing a Cadillac defense system and a dinosaur economy, I think it hastened their undoing," Clinton declared.
Clinton was careful to add that the Reagan military program included "a lot of wasted money and unnecessary expenditure," but the signal had been sent: Clinton was willing to move beyond "the brain-dead politics in both parties," as he so often put it.
I happen to agree with Senator Obama. Ironically, candidate Bill Clinton gave Reagan too much credit. Reagan didn't win the cold war. The Soviet system fell of its own accord.
I am pleased that my candidate said something interesting and true, even if it moved momentarily off-message from Democratic orthodoxy. It is depressing that Obama's point was too complex for ready explanation in 10 seconds to the party faithful.