Well, SDI worked well enough to not be a failure, but that isn't really the point. Dante does have a kernel of truth that Reagan's actions really did appall the extreme right and what would be the neocons. Reagan didn't make any secret that he loathed nuclear weapons. (that was much of the joke when he said on tv, not knowing the cameras were on, 'the bombing commences in ... minutes.")
Reagan was a liberal in terms of he shared the founders view that mankind inevitably was in an upward spiral towards personal liberation. His religious views weren't all that different from Deists. The notion that freedom was secured via mutually assured destruction of human kind was abhorrent. But, he was such a staunch anti-communist, the RW didn't go there. Moreover, Goldwater had been maligned by the Daisy commercial by LBJ. Frankly, Goldwater was less a menace to unleash the holocaust than LBJ.
The impact of SDI was that Reagan and Gorby both knew the soviet generals would have to respond to an arms race, and the soviets couldn't afford it. (Neither could we, but so much) Whether the damn thing could stop 50-75-90% of warheads wasn't really the point. The Soviets needed a lot more missles, that was the point.
By the mid 80s it was clear that the Soviet economy wasn't able to allocate capital quickly enough to compete in a post-technological world. Reagan always distrusted the CIA analysis of their economy. While the Soviets probably did grow gnp faster than we in the early 60s, there was no way they could compete in 1984. As the saying went, if they can't provide citizens tampons, they are a third world country with nukes.
So, into his second term, having achieved a fair degree of conventional arms parity, and with a idealist distrust of MAD, and the economic evidence that his faith in neoliberal economics (Thatcherism) was justified, the old guy was a lot freer to be Reagan. And Dante's right, there were political commentators on the right who weren't as great visionaries as Reagan, who didn't get that.
But, the economic views of Commanding Heights sort balance out Will and the gang.
You meant to say Reagan's (one sided) Keynesian policies where he ramped up spending created an economy that did slightly better than the stagnant 1970's? He did this at the same time he cut revenues to the treasury and taxes on the rich. Tripled US debt
SDI WORKED? Under Reagan? Got a link?
This was the first successful test of the U.S. missile defense system in four attempts dating back to December, 2008.
Of the 16 tests of this defense system held thus far, eight hit the target and eight missed it.
The system was declared operational 10 years ago and has cost a total of $40 billion. It dates back to President Reagans Star Wars concept.
The defending missile is supposed to hit the incoming missile in mid-air. Like all the previous tests, this one was carefully staged.
Those launching the intercepting missile knew the targets exact dimensions, its time of launch, its trajectory, and its speed.
This information would not be available in time of war.
News & Views: Missile defense hits its target
exactly.

also the religious views that were told to us by the controlled media and what they ACTUALLy were are like night and day.The religious views of reagan that were crammed down our throuts were that he has a god fearing christian.he fooled people very well in that by wanting prayer in school.But this was the REAL Ronnies religious views.
Ronald Reagan: No Hero
Much of the activity of the Reagan years can be explained by the fact that Ronnie and Nancy were devout supporters of Satanists. So devout that they insisted the head of the satanic Temple of Set, Colonel Michael Aquino, visit the White House wearing his satanic high-priest robe. With Reagan's support Aquino was able to get Satanism recognized as a protected religious belief in the military. Aquino was investigated by the military as well as the San Francisco Police Dept. when children identified him as head of a "Devil Worship Club" that ritually molested, murdered and cannibalized children. The court document notes that several members of the Army thought there was probable cause to "Title" Aquino with offenses of indecent acts with a child, sodomy, conspiracy, kidnapping, and false swearing - but the case was dismissed under pressure from the highest levels.
Daughter Maureen Reagan was close to Larry King, head of the failed Franklin Community Credit Union, Republican darling and leader of a child abduction, pornography and prostitution ring. Larry King was well known in the 1980's for his lavish parties attended by Republican power-elite. Less well known was the fact that some of his events came with party favors of child sex-slaves. King was involved with the satanic CIA child abduction and mind control program that kidnapped Johnny Gosch while he was delivering newspapers.
The June 29, 1989 Washington Times ran an article under the headlines of "Homosexual Prostitution Probe Ensnares Official of Bush, Reagan,'' with the kicker "Call Boys Took Midnight Tour of White House.'' The article said that "A homosexual prostitution ring is under investigation by federal and District authorities and includes among its clients key officials of the Reagan and Bush administrations, military officers, congressional aides and U.S. and foreign businessmen with close ties to Washington's political elite."
When the FBI and Omaha police refused to investigate allegations against King, the Nebraska State Legislature conducted an investigation that uncovered a satanic criminal trail that led to the what longtime CIA Director William Colby called "the highest levels." Fifteen of the people involved in the investigation died under mysterious circumstance, included William Colby - who was acting as a consultant to the investigation. King was ultimately convicted of fraud for his part in the theft of over $40 million from the credit union and served five years in prison but was never convicted of his more heinous offences.
The Republican party kept King in its innermost circle even after his indictment. He sang the Star Spangled Banner at the Republican National Convention in 1988 while under investigation. It wasn't until his arrest that the Republican party finally turned its back on him.
In 1998 & 1999, a U.S. District Court in Lincoln, Nebraska, heard testimony in the case of Paul A. Bonacci v. Lawrence E. King in which Bonacci charged that he had been ritualistically abused by the defendant, as part of a nationwide pedophile ring liked to powerful political figures in Washington and to elements of the U.S. military and intelligence establishment. Judge Warren K. Urbom ordered King, in Federal prison at the time, to pay $1 million in damages to Bonacci, in what Bonacci's attorney John DeCamp said was a clear signal that "the evidence presented was credible."
America's worst financial disaster since the Great Depression occured under Reagan with the collapse of the Savings & Loan system. Nearly $500 billion was looted from thousands of Savings & Loans by a criminal ring that included the Mafia, CIA and the Bush family. Neil Bush was involved in the collapse of Silverado Savings & Loan but never served any jail time. By the time the Federal government and elite is done milking the scam further, US taxpayers will have paid well over a trillion dollars.
The full extent of Reagan's crimes may never be known because George W. Bush issued an executive order which countermands the 1978 Presidential Records Act and prevents the release of 68,000 pages of Reagan era documents. Given that Reagan lacked the intelligence to carry out some of the more elaborate crimes, the records are likely to shed light on the true role of the Bush crime family.
Let us remember Reagan as he really was...
Liar
Thief
Mass murderer
Supporter of abortion
War criminal
Traitor of the American people
Destroyer of freedom
Destroyer of the environment
Corporate whore
Supporter of Satanists and child murderers
While Reagan may have not been entirely aware of what he was doing and how his decisions would impact the world, he was also much more sinister than the media has portrayed him.
this link here is along read but it exposes the REAL ronald reagan though.its well worth the read.
A Despository of Information: Ronald Reagan
whats really funny though is the foolish sheep who hate obama so much but love reagan.Like alex jones says so well in this link,Obama has done everything that reagan did.reagan was a far better actor though so he fooled people better than obozo does.
» The Great Reagan Legacy? Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!