I love this story about Ronald Reagan as president. It comes from Ted Kennedy’s upcoming memoir. I am just beginning the two volume set, Age of Reagan.
The senator said it had been difficult to get Reagan to focus on policy matters. He described a meeting with him that he and other senators had sought to press for shoe and textile import limits.
The senators were told that they would have just 30 minutes with the president. Reagan began the meeting, the book said, commenting on Mr. Kennedy’s shoes — asking if they were Bostonians — and then talking for 20 minutes about shoes and his experience selling shoes for his father. “Several of us began conspicuously to glance at our watches.” But to no avail. “And it was over!” Mr. Kennedy said. “No one got a word in about shoe or textile quota legislation.”
They had been rolled and it will become one more story of how dumb Reagan was. I love it. I wonder if, in those lucid and sober moments he had, Kennedy ever wondered if maybe Reagan knew exactly what he was doing when he genially stalled them until they ran out of time.
I will bet five dollars there are not five Democrats who will understand that story.
UPDATE: He did it to Republicans, too. He also said “There is no limit to what can be accomplished as long as it makes no difference who gets the credit.”
Yup, I thought the same thing. Reagan knew damn good and well what mission Kennedy was on. All scoped out and briefed ahead of time. So he sandbags ’em…but the chump’s out is to play it literally and pass the word around that this President is obviously senile. Kennedy probably did know the score but others would not.
I admire Reagan for his tactics but it still makes me mad that the libs are too stupid/craven to acknowledge when they’ve been had by the master.
I have begun The Age of Reagan. Volume One. I will emerge from my hole in a month or so.
(*GRIN*)
BILL
Dr. K., I think I have told you my Ronald Reagan story. He was not stupid at all.