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Did President Reagan Neglect National Security? | The Weekly Standard
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Mitt Romney is recounting a Jim Baker anecdote in which President Reagan ordered Baker, as White House chief of staff, to hold no national security meetings over a hundred day period early in his first term so that President Reagan and his team could focus on the economy. If the Journal's reporting is accurateand I don't believe the Romney camp has challenged itRomney should stop telling this false and foolish tale.
Here's the reporting:
Mr. Romney made that clear [that he's most focused on the economy] at a July fundraiser in Montana as he rehashed the challenges Mr. Reagan faced when he took office. He recounted how [James] Baker, a former secretary of state, held a national security meeting about Latin America during the first 100 days of Mr. Reagans presidency. And after the meeting, President Reagan called me in and said, I want no more national-security meetings over the next 100 daysall of our time has to be focused on getting our economy going, Mr. Romney recalled Mr. Baker saying.
For one thing, as Marc Thiessen points out, the fact that Romney's recounting this anecdote doesn't reflect well on Romney's understanding of the job he's campaigning for:
"Given the challenges a Romney administration will face from a spiraling Syria to key decisions on the way forward in Afghanistan to dealing with Irans nuclear program and the threats from al Qaeda in Yemen and East Africa it is unlikely Romney will have the luxury of ignoring foreign policy for his first 100 days....But the fact that Romney thinks it would be desirable to ignore the world for his first 100 days is troubling. Yes, the American people are focused on the economy and understandably so. But Romney isnt running for treasury secretary he is running for Commander in Chief. And those responsibilities begin on Day 1 of his presidency."
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The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Mitt Romney is recounting a Jim Baker anecdote in which President Reagan ordered Baker, as White House chief of staff, to hold no national security meetings over a hundred day period early in his first term so that President Reagan and his team could focus on the economy. If the Journal's reporting is accurateand I don't believe the Romney camp has challenged itRomney should stop telling this false and foolish tale.
Here's the reporting:
Mr. Romney made that clear [that he's most focused on the economy] at a July fundraiser in Montana as he rehashed the challenges Mr. Reagan faced when he took office. He recounted how [James] Baker, a former secretary of state, held a national security meeting about Latin America during the first 100 days of Mr. Reagans presidency. And after the meeting, President Reagan called me in and said, I want no more national-security meetings over the next 100 daysall of our time has to be focused on getting our economy going, Mr. Romney recalled Mr. Baker saying.
For one thing, as Marc Thiessen points out, the fact that Romney's recounting this anecdote doesn't reflect well on Romney's understanding of the job he's campaigning for:
"Given the challenges a Romney administration will face from a spiraling Syria to key decisions on the way forward in Afghanistan to dealing with Irans nuclear program and the threats from al Qaeda in Yemen and East Africa it is unlikely Romney will have the luxury of ignoring foreign policy for his first 100 days....But the fact that Romney thinks it would be desirable to ignore the world for his first 100 days is troubling. Yes, the American people are focused on the economy and understandably so. But Romney isnt running for treasury secretary he is running for Commander in Chief. And those responsibilities begin on Day 1 of his presidency."
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