Morning in America

Poor, silly, conservative commenters, like Charles "Chucky" Krauthammer, seem terribly confused. After years, and years of insisiting that glib old Ronald Reagen is deserving of deification for believing "that America was both great and good and had been needlessly diminished by [foolish policies]" Chucky wants us to know that positive thinking isn't enough and that St. Reagan's approach was wrong:

And now, in the most amazing trick of all, a silver-tongued freshman senator has found a way to sell hope. To get it, you need only give him your vote. Barack Obama s getting millions.

Like Reagan, Obama believes that America is great and good. Like Reagen, Obama believes that the country can be restored, and that we have been diminished by bad leaders and bad policies. Like Reagen, Obama offers charisma, dignity, and the ability to communicate with power and persuasion. I don't claim that Obama is the second-coming of Ronald Reagen, and like most fair-minded people, I believe Reagen's legacy has been overstated and unjustly celebrated. But conservatives like Krauthammer owe us an explanation: Why was it okay for Reagan to smile, and wave the flag, and talk about America's promise, but an unpardonable act of deception when Obama plays the same game?