George W. Bush High School?
Look at Reagan
By Daniel Muniz

A reader had once asked John Hawkins of Right Wing News for his opinion about George W. Bush’s dismal approval ratings. Hawkins assured his readers that some day your children will attend a George W. Bush high school. Seeing how the media and popular culture depict the president, such a claim may indeed seem outlandish but only if you do not put history into context and into its proper perspective.

When I was a teenager during the entire Reagan administration I vividly remembered the incendiary inflammatory diatribes hurled against the president. Popular culture created malicious caricatures of Reagan that were not unlike the ones about George W. Bush that we commonly see today. And at the time where I was living at, Texas was not yet the solid Republican state as it is today, thus it was not uncommon for certain center-right voters to rile against the Gipper.

During my teenage days, I felt (along with the media and the rest of the popular culture) that it was absolutely insane and downright dangerous for Reagan to not only be too confrontational with the Soviet Union but to also be so provocative with them during his massive defense buildup. I had read quite a bit of literature that was popular at the time, such as the “Nuclear Winter” and I had seen the “The Day After” (for young people of today that was a movie, not a pill) and Amerika.

Nuclear war with the Russians may seem so antiquated in the millennium but back in the eighties (as it was in the decades before), that was quite a possibility during the Cold War. And it was natural for many people (myself included) to want to avoid our own annihilation although others simply wished it away with naïve peace plans.

Reagan was different.

Not only did he boldly seek to confront the Soviet Union, but he also sought to defeat them. Even among Republicans, very few people at the time really thought that the Cold War was actually winnable by the United States as evidenced by the failures of administration after administration.

The thought of provoking the Soviets terrified liberals and the media amplified much of that hysteria throughout the airwaves. The press immortalized Reagan’s famous depiction of the USSR as “The Evil Empire.” The media incessantly trashed and pummeled him for that comment. And Hollywood caricatured him as either a warmonger or as being stupid and out of touch with reality, which is not much different than how the left wing today paints George W. Bush.

Yet Reagan and the conservatives of his Reagan Revolution were steadfast with the profound vision of toppling the Soviet Union. I, along with quite a few other people at the time had our doubts and misgivings.

After his presidency, the Soviet Union did collapse. The USSR disintegrated and a slew of new nations embarked on their own destinies. Communism itself also failed and it was no longer touted as a way of life that we must co-exist alongside with.

Today, Reagan’s other famous phrase has been immortalized:

"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

It has taken history quite a bit of time to catch up with the enormous ramifications of the ending of the Cold War. During the Clinton administration, Reagan was still looked upon unkindly with scorn and ridicule. It wasn’t until his passing that even many left wing politicians began to grudgingly admit to his role in defeating communism and bringing down the Soviet Union. And as more of the fruits of his legacy come to light, the more history will begin to take a “kinder gentler” approach at his contributions and endeavors.

Overall, the media was wrong. Hollywood was wrong. I was wrong. And so were quite a few others who were wrong about Reagan and his vision to put an end to communism and the Red threat.

Fragments of the Berlin Wall now sit in museums. There is a new aircraft carrier that bears Reagan’s name. A number of other landmarks, including an airport, have been named after him.

Incidentally, in the suburb where my new house was been built, the high school that my children will someday attend is also named after Ronald Reagan. As a teenager, I would never have imagined that such a thing could have even been remotely possible especially after the way that the press and popular culture treated him.

But now I foresee that the same thing will happen to George W. Bush although perhaps not in his lifetime.

Much like Reagan and communism, George W. Bush believes that Islamic terrorists can and will be defeated. It has already happened in Afghanistan and it is happening in Iraq.

I too had my own misgivings about Iraq especially after the chaos that ensued shortly after the fall of Baghdad. But this time, I have been able to see past the sound bites of the media and the filters of Hollywood that clouded the tremendous achievements that our troops have accomplished. This time, I can now see the determination and perseverance of a president who wants democracy to flourish in a region of the world where freedom is almost alien. And democracy and freedom will help extinguish the threat of Islamic terrorism throughout the Middle East.

Is George W. Bush flawed?

Of course he is; just like every president is. He has made mistakes and oftentimes he has failed to assert himself or at the very least, defend his administration. And a few times he has disappointed members of his own party.

Unfortunately, the left wing, the press, and Hollywood will continue to scorn Bush, but some day history will look back and realize that a major terrorist network has been dismantled and its remnants scattered throughout the world. History will then see electoral democracies flourishing not only in Iraq and Afghanistan but also in Lebanon, Egypt, and in much of the Middle East.

In essence, I do believe that John Hawkins of Right Wing News is correct!

History will vindicate the president. And ironically, my toddler will someday be attending the Ronald Reagan high school that is a few miles away from my neighborhood. And perhaps the children of my son will some day attend a George W. Bush high school.

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