Republicans Chasing Reagan Legacy Once Criticized Party Icon
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A near-certainty in tonight’s Republican presidential debate in Iowa is that any mention of Ronald Reagan will be full of praise. He stands as the model president for Republicans seeking the office.
What Newt Gingrich, the front-runner in the party’s current race, is unlikely to note is that he once charged that Reagan’s administration “has failed, is failing, and without a dramatic fundamental change in strategy will continue to fail” in dealing with the Soviet Union. Nor will rival Mitt Romney repeat his comment in a 1994 Senate race that he wasn’t “trying to return to” Reagan policies.