I give this about ten seconds until Fox and GOP talking heads pick this up as a complete argument that Reagan was the best president ever.

Well good then. Saves the taxpayers the money it would cost to posthumously prosecute him.

spidermann: I give this about ten seconds until Fox and GOP talking heads pick this up as a complete argument that Reagan was the best president ever.

He was better than Carter (who is about the same as Obama). For this reason, the right needs to nominate a real conservative. When Obama loses the democrat majority in the Senate next year (if he is reelected), he will be able to do nothing to kill the economy.

I'm sure he'll be very relieved.

Hobodeluxe: I love how Reagan played ignorant about all of it. Then it turned out he was briefed daily on all the aspects of it.
and now this guy says it was okay because the National Security Act trumps the Arms Export Control Act. Basically saying as long as we're fighting socialists we can illegaly arm terrorists.
Isn't Fascism great?

That's not even what he said. He said Reagan is exculpated because Meese told him it was perfectly legit under the National Security Act, even though it was not. It's kind of like John Yoo telling Dubya that water boarding is not torture. I am a lawyer, but I'm going to hire one today to tell me that sneaking into the movies for free is okay under the Get Into Movies Free Act of 1907. I figure I'm all good if I do that.

"We negotiate with terrorists" - R. Reagan

Nice to see his legacy survives. Even as this prosecutor excuses Reagan for arming the Contras he admits that Reagan was in charge of arms deals with Iran.

"a lawyer determines?"

so that's all it takes to determine guilt or innocence? once person? well, great - that'll take a load off our courts.

...President Reagan was briefed in advance about every weapons shipment sold to Iran in the arms-for-hostages deals in 1985-86. In a separate report on Bush, Mixter wrote that the then-vice president was chairman of a committee that recommended mining the harbors of Nicaragua in 1983.

The important thing is that no blow jobs were involved.

MorrisBird: He said Reagan is exculpated because Meese told him it was perfectly legit under the National Security Act, even though it was not. It's kind of like John Yoo telling Dubya that water boarding is not torture

Came here to say this. Carry on.

MorrisBird: That's not even what he said. He said Reagan is exculpated because Meese told him it was perfectly legit under the National Security Act, even though it was not. It's kind of like John Yoo telling Dubya that water boarding is not torture. I am a lawyer, but I'm going to hire one today to tell me that sneaking into the movies for free is okay under the Get Into Movies Free Act of 1907. I figure I'm all good if I do that.

This. If your lawyer gives you bad advice and you act on it, you are responsible for the results. It is for this reason that you should be careful about the lawyer you choose.

spidermann: Reagan was the best president ever.

He was indeed.

/ selective quoting, FTW!

Let me guess:

Due to diminished capacity?

LordJiro: EnviroDude: spidermann: I give this about ten seconds until Fox and GOP talking heads pick this up as a complete argument that Reagan was the best president ever.

He was better than Carter (who is about the same as Obama). For this reason, the right needs to nominate a real conservative. When Obama loses the democrat majority in the Senate next year (if he is reelected), he will be able to do nothing to kill the economy.

So you agree that taxes need to be increased, and you're pro-amnesty for illegal aliens, then?

And tripling the national debt - because he proved deficits don't matter. And expanding the federal government by a quarter of a million employees.

And funding terrorists. And letting summit meetings be scheduled by his wife's astrologer.

/the 80s: the real version, not the fantasy version Republicans believe in

MisterRonbo: And tripling the national debt - because he proved deficits don't matter. And expanding the federal government by a quarter of a million employees.

And funding terrorists. And letting summit meetings be scheduled by his wife's astrologer.

/the 80s: the real version, not the fantasy version Republicans believe in

He also raised taxes after he cut them (new window), because he realized that the deficit was getting out of control. Perhaps Republicans should take that into account:

Over the remainder of his presidency, Reagan would go on to sign a series of such increases, ultimately taking back about half of his 1981 tax cut, according to economist and historian Bruce Bartlett. The 1981 legislation marked a watershed in federal taxation, capping an era of tax cuts and starting a new one of increases. As economist Jerry Tempalski has noted, of the nine major tax laws enacted from 1968 to 1981, six reduced federal revenue. By contrast, nine of the 11 major tax laws introduced from 1982 to 1993 increased revenue.

One of the huge problems is that current far-right Republicans treat economic policy like it's religious doctrine. Comprise is some sort of moral failing to them because they act based on unquestioned dogma that other people told them, not the realistic and rational examination of the prevailing state of the real world.

It's impossible for them to understand why a policy might be modified, because they don't know or comprehend the reasoning underlying the policy. The instant you question the doctrine, then *boom*, you're a heretic RINO.

"My attorney advised me that the law against farking children was superseded by the imperative to win football games. Plus, right after I witnessed the farking, I mentioned it to my co-workers. So we're cool, right?"