Political Quotes

“people say that a truly great athlete is not only gifted himself, he makes those who play with him better. The same is true of President Reagan, who not only led the country, but restored America's confidence. He renewed our sense of America's goodness and America's greatness. And with that assurance, the American people achieved great things. When Reagan came into office, America was demoralized. President Carter had even spoken of our ``malaise.'' Watergate and our defeat in Vietnam shook our self-confidence. We surrendered control over the Panama Canal which we had built. The Soviet Union was at the height of its power and communism seemed to be on the march. After Vietnam fell to the communists, Cambodia followed. The Sandinistas took control in Nicaragua and communist insurgencies were under way in Ethiopia, Angola, and Mozambique. The Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and were in the process of suppressing the Solidarity movement in Poland. At the same time, the Shah fell in Iran, and supporters of Ayatollah Khomenini held 52 Americans hostage for more than a year at our embassy in Tehran. Worse, the American military expedition to free them failed in the desert, with the crash of two helicopters and the death of eight servicemen. The economic situation was just as dire. In 1980, inflation stood at 13.5 percent, and interest rates reached 21 percent. The turmoil in the Middle East sparked gasoline shortages.”