this just in from MoveOn

I love these guys.

CHENEY NOW HIDES HIS CRITICISM OF REAGAN

As the nation mourns the death of Ronald Reagan, the Bush administration is sending Vice President Dick Cheney[1] to memorialize the 40th President Wednesday on Capitol Hill. Cheney's kind words now, however, stand in contrast to his words while Reagan was president.

Last week, Cheney said, "during the decisive years of the Cold War, I saw the conviction and the moral courage of Ronald Reagan"[2]. Yet it was Cheney who, as a top leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, said Reagan was "tolerating a decision-making process in the upper reaches of the Administration that lacked integrity and accountability"[3].

He also chastised Reagan's defense policies - the same policies conservatives are trumpeting as Reagan's lasting legacy. Cheney said at the height of the Cold War that if Reagan "doesn't really cut defense, he becomes the No. 1 special pleader in town." Cheney urged Reagan to cut defense spending, saying, "the president has to reach out and take a whack at everything to be credible," and told the White House that "you've got to hit defense"[4].

Six years later, Cheney followed through on his statements by changing the same Reagan defense policies he now touts. In 1990, he bragged to Congress that as Defense Secretary he "cut almost $65 billion out of the five-year defense program" and that subsequent proposals would "take another $167 billion out." He highlighted, "we're recommending base closures," "we're talking about force structure cuts" and "we've got a military construction freeze"[5].

Sources:
1. "Public Viewing to Last 34 Hours" WashingtonPost.com, 6/08/04. 2. Vice Presidential Speech, White House Website, 6/4/04. 3. National Journal, 8/08/87. 4. Washington Post, 12/16/84. 5. Congressional Testimony, 2/1/90.