The ongoing Libya saga (following up on the ongoing Afghanistan and Iraq sagas) reminded me of when Reagan withdrew the troops from Lebanon. He got a bit of flak for cutting and running but arguably it was the right decision. Then I was thinking that Reagan made a lot of U-turns on economic and foreign policy issues and maybe that was often a good thing. We tend to value consistency in politicians but sometimes what’s important is a willingness to give up and try something new. Going back to earlier presidents, Franklin Roosevelt was famous for his flexibility, Lyndon Johnson notorious for being a tactically flexible while being stubborn in the longer term.
One of Reagan’s advantages was to have strong congressional opposition. First off, not so much was expected of him, since he had to negotiate with the Democrats in Congress. Second, he was free to make fiery speeches without having to enact the consequences. For example he could take a firm anti-abortion stand without having to worry that abortion would actually be banned. Third, sometimes he’d try things and Congress would stop him.
I’m not saying everything Reagan did was great–I think we’ve all seen some of the negative consequences of his government’s support for terrorists in two hemispheres–but I am thinking that Reagan, like FDR, should get credit for (sometimes) knowing when to give up. Not just political flexibility and tactics but actual willingness to change direction.
To be “political science,” these ideas would have to be developed further–you’d have to systematically look at the actions of lots of presidents, etc. For a blog, though, I think it’s important (even, on occasion, useful) to put out these half-baked ideas.
Now feel free to tear my argument to shreds. Don’t worry–I won’t be offended!
P.S. The categories on this blog are too limiting. Here’s what we have:
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None of these really fit. I guess I’ll choose “Policy” and “War”; they’re the closest.