On October 23, 1983, Hezbollah (with Iranian backing) bombed barracks of US soldiers in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 241 Marines.
Besides being a horrible loss of life, this event obviously stirred up a feces tsunami for the Reagan administration. Shortly thereafter, President Reagan withdrew US forces from Lebanon, and looked for a couple of weaker bad guys to smack around. Hey, any bad guys in this Grenada place we can make an example of?
In retrospect, withdrawing those troops was the worst moment of Reagan's presidency. This retreat was one of the top moments giving the likes of Bin Laden some good reason to think that we're paper tigers, lacking the will to use our power.
Now, we probably shouldn't have been in Lebanon in the first place, but leaving like that obviously cost us rep, making them think they could kill our people and get away with it. That has cost us. We should have took the opportunity to wipe out as much of Hezbollah as we could find, and pretty much anybody who knew them- then left.
Ah well, Reagan didn't see what we were going to be getting into decades later. He was still fighting the last war- the Cold War.
This brings us to perhaps the best moment of Reagan's presidency though, in retrospect perhaps the final psychological tipping point of the half century standoff with the Soviets.
On August 11, 1984, President Reagan was on stage preparing for a radio broadcast. Joking around, Reagan "accidentally" said into a live microphone, "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes."
This little snafu didn't cost American lives, so the public didn't much care. Democratic opposition, however, pitched a fit. Why, this guy's NUTS. He's off his beam.
Article comments
1 - Jeff
What are we supposed to do in situations like Lebanon (or Iraq or Saudi Arabia or Vietnam)? We want to get out, or we shouldn't have been there in the first place and nobody wants us there. Then someone attacks us. We wanted to get out in the first place so why don't we just leave? But that will make us look like cowards or appeasers or whatever. How do you deal with that situation? Stay longer and have more casualties just to save face when the right thing to do is leave? It seems like a situation I find myself in. I didn't support war in Iraq but now I find myself saying "We can't leave now".
(Please god don't turn this comment section into a debate about Iraq. The horse has been dead for months now)
2 - Shark
AL, in a rare moment when he boosts my confidence in President Bush: "Perhaps it's good for the president to have people thinking he's maybe just half a bubble off level."
Ah, I'll sleep better tonight!
3 - Al Barger
Glad to help out, Shark.
4 - Roger
Just curious, what are your memories of serving in the US Military? Al, Shark???
Where were you stationed and what was your MOS?
5 - Shark
"Just curious, what are your memories of serving in the US Military? Al, Shark??? Where were you stationed and what was your MOS?"
Everybody already knows: Al and I served in the Confederate Army. We were stationed right over there (Shark points south) and we also shared the Primary MOS 0000, which means in the event of war, we're hostages.
Thanks for asking!
6 - Chris Kent
lol.....I was the drummer boy, and damn proud of it!
I have missed your thundering posts Roger. Where's my umbrella?!