"The Soviet empire is faltering because it is rigid--centralized control has destroyed incentives for innovation, efficiency, and individual achievement. Spiritually, there is a sense of malaise and resentment," Ronald Reagan told the Eureka College class of 1982.

"But in the midst of social and economic problems," he continued, "the Soviet dictatorship has forged the largest armed force in the world. It has done so by pre-empting the human needs of its people, and in the end, this course will undermine the foundations of the Soviet system."

Ronald Reagan made this forecast seven years before the Berlin Wall fell and nine years before the Soviet Union disintegrated. At the same time, men with far more learned pedigrees than a diploma from Eureka College mocked Reagan’s outlook.

"The Soviet economy has made great national progress in recent years," economist John Kenneth Galbraith insisted in 1984. That same year, columnist Anthony Lewis scoffed at "the notion that a diplomacy of abuse would make the Russians cry 'uncle,'" labeling this view "fantasy." The USSR, the New York Times scribe said, "is not going to disappear because we want it to." A few years later, MIT professor Lester Thurow held, "No one can deny that [the Soviet Union] has made great economic progress."

Who was Reagan to question them? They had high IQs, wore bow-ties and tweed jackets, and used words like "problematize," "postmodern," and "bourgeoisie." Reagan, on the other hand, co-starred in a film with a monkey.

But Ronald Reagan was right. Anthony Lewis, John Kenneth Galbraith, Lester Thurow, and so many other wise men were wrong. Instead of discarding their inept theories, intellectuals lashed out at the man who made them look like fools. Don’t expect the good-feelings toward President Reagan in the wake of his death to continue much longer, at least not among academics and journalists.

Why haven't you reposted (or hyperlinked) your National Review piece "Sore Losers: Juvenile cheers from the radical Left"?
http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/flynn200406070941.asp

Someone needs to remind the hate-America Left how they've still got friends... in low places.

Associated Press
June 6, 2004, Sunday
HEADLINE: Gadhafi: Regrets Reagan died before being tried for 1986 air strikes on Libya

Moammar Gadhafi expressed regret Sunday that President Ronald Reagan died before standing trial for 1986 American air strikes that killed the Libyan leader's adopted daughter and 36 other people...
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-reagan-mideast,0,4775458.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines

Year in and year out the United States sold millions of tons of surplus grain to a floundering Soviet Union, and guaranteed loans to them at taxpayers expense. Year in and year out conservatives raged against this-but were told they didn`t understand the complexities of international relations. Everyone in the media and in government was afraid to proclaim ``the Emperor has no clothes``. Ronald Reagan decided enough was enough, and told the world ``the Emperor has no clothes``. He was the first political leader to use America`s economic might to crush them. The Soviets had bragged that ``we will hang you and you will sell us the rope``. Reagan understood that if we needed to stop selling the Soviets rope on easy credit. They soon reached the end of THEIR rope! Thank God for Reagan!