From The Consortium News
By Robert Parry

As a journalist who investigated Reagan-era scandals – from secret arms deals with Iran and Iraq to drug traffickers protected by the covert wars in Nicaragua and Afghanistan – I always recoiled when Democrats prostrated themselves in praise of Ronald Reagan.

Beyond the pandering component, there was the annoying assumption that the rest of us were too stupid to see what they were up to, as they tried to sound “bipartisan” or buy a measure of protection from Republican attacks.

Now, a recurrence of this “Democrats-praise-Reagan” game has intruded on the 2008 presidential campaign as both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have had to explain seemingly favorable comments about President Reagan.

In an editorial board interview before the Nevada caucuses, Obama cited Reagan as a leader who spoke to public anger about the lack of accountability in the 1960s and 1970s and thus “changed the trajectory of America.” That prompted an accusation from Clinton at the Jan. 21 debate that Obama was “admiring Ronald Reagan.”

Obama denied Clinton’s characterization, claiming he was just acknowledging Reagan’s historical significance. He also noted that Clinton had “provided much more fulsome praise” of Reagan in Tom Brokaw’s new book, Boom!, which quotes Clinton as praising Reagan’s flexibility.

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