Optimisim... Sheesh.

The recriminations and backtracking have begun. Ronald Reagan, arguably one of the best presidents in our country's short history, passed away only five days ago and already the big three anchors think there is a real danger of over covering the country's mourning, and the effect, and meaning of his life.

RatherBiased.com
"They will be over-covered," Rather told Philly Daily News TV critic Gail Shister. "Even though everybody is respectful and wants to pay homage to the president, life does go on. There is other news, like the reality of Iraq. It got very short shrift this weekend."

Yes... the reality of Iraq. If only it would get covered. This weekend is not the only time it got very short shrift.

The left leaning media is also concerned that we might get too much favorable information about a conservative all at one time so they have decided to remind us how stupid, obstinate, lucky, and cowboy-ish Mr. Reagan was. "Oh," they opine with false sincerity, "but he was optimistic, that was his greatest contribution to our country." The media are playing down the greatest policy successes of his administration – winning the cold war, rebuilding the military, and pulling the economy back from the precipice of an over twenty point misery index, which was Jimmy Carter’s legacy – in favor of a smiley disposition as his greatest contribution. The arrogance stuns me.

Aside from Ronald Reagan, the two major players in the fall of the Soviet Union were Margaret Thatcher, and Mikhail Gorbachev. Lets see what they have to say.

Margaret Thatcher on the Occasion of Ranald Reagans Death
President Reagan was one of my closest political and dearest personal friends. He will be missed not only by those who knew him and not only by the nation that he served so proudly and loved so deeply, but also by millions of men and women who live in freedom today because of the policies he pursued.

Ronald Reagan had a higher claim than any other leader to have won the Cold War for liberty and he did it without a shot being fired.

To have achieved so much against so many odds and with such humour and humanity made Ronald Reagan a truly great American hero.

Margaret Thacher at The Heritage Foundation
President Reagan is one of the greatest men of our time, and one of the greatest American Presidents of all time. If that is not fully appreciated today, and sadly it is not, it isn't really surprising. After all, so many people have been proved wrong by Ronald Reagan that they simply daren't acknowledge his achievement. Forests have already been pulped to print the revisionist analyses of the eighties. Those who were once so confident of the superiority of the Soviet system that they advocated appeasement of it, now pretend to believe that it was doomed to inevitable collapse. Tell that to the Russians! The former Soviet ministers didn't and don't doubt the seriousness of the struggle, even if Western liberal commentators do.

Amy Ridenour's National Center Blog points us to an excelent article by Ken Adelman which shows clearly that Gorbachev himself believed Ronald Reagan was the reason the Soviet Union fell.

FOXNews
When visiting the U.S., Mr. Gorbachev was asked how it happened. How he came into office ruling the communist Soviet Union, and left office with no Soviet Union and no communism. What was the turning point?

Without hesitation, he answered: "Oh, it's Reykjavik."

Was Mr. Reagan optimistic? Yes he was. But his optimism was not based in ignorance and naiveté, as the liberal press would have you believe, but in confidence in America. Confidence in its people and their ideals – in their ability to achieve anything. Ronald Reagan had a vision. He had a plan, and as much as it ticked off the Democrat that I was at the time, now I'm glad he carried it out. I was wrong, not Mr. Reagan.