Ron, I hardly knew ya!

They say none are more zealous than the newly converted. Ronald Reagan was once a Democrat and converted to Republican. In 1964, he said in a speech, "I have spent most of my life as a Democrat. I recently have seen fit to follow another course."

Yet, thanks to the Bush II presidency, it has helped to shed new light on the Reagan legacy. Whereas there was a time when Reagan could've been regarded as a staunch right-wing representative of his party, Bush Jr. and in fact the entire Republican Party over the last ten or so years have worked to revise the way one could regard The Gipper. Compared to Bush, DeLay, Ashcroft, Gingrich, etc., Reagan now looks like a moderate. It's as if he now represents somewhat rational conservatism compared to the radical-fringe, extremist conservatism that GW enforces. Whereas one could have a serious debate concerning the pros and cons of Reagan's policies, Bush's policies simply don't merit such debate -- most are simply astoundingly misguided, dishonest, and not in the country's interest.

I did have my complaints at the time concerning what Reagan was doing for the country, but based on what has occurred during the last three years, I'd take him in a heart beat over our current clueless, embarrassment of a leader.