It Takes a Big Man to Admit He's Wrong

Rush was wrong, but of course, he can spin it so that he's right.

RUSH: Let me tell you about Tip O'Neill. You know, all this is revisionist history. Tip O'Neill called Ronald Reagan "the most ignorant man who had ever occupied the White House." O'Neill, I think, is the author of the phrase "amiable dunce" in describing Reagan. O'Neill also said that Reagan was "Herbert Hoover with a smile, a cheerleader for selfishness." He said that Reagan's policies "meant that his presidency was one big Christmas party for the rich." Tip O'Neill was a leading opponent of the Reagan administration's policies, domestic and foreign; defense, what have you. Following the 1980 election, Republicans won the Senate along with the White House. O'Neill became the leader of the congressional opposition. He called Reagan, "The most ignorant man who had ever occupied the White House."

Now, all this talk about how these guys are good friends and they went out and drank beer after work every day? It's a bunch of poppycock. It's just another pack of lies. Gloria Borger, we were discussing in the break. I don't know how old this woman is, but it seems like she's been around as long as I have. I mean, ever since I have been paying attention to stuff in Washington, she's been there, and most of that time at Newsweek. So I know that in 1980 during the Reagan administration she was in Washington covering the events. If she doesn't know what TEFRA is, if she doesn't know that Reagan took $3 of spending cuts for every new dollar of tax increase -- and that he did it one time; when it was discovered he was lied to, he never, ever did it again. These guys want to act like Reagan was making those deals all the time with Tip O'Neill, but I'm saying... (sigh) What? She was is there for crying out loud! Does she not remember or is she just purposely obtuse (and that's being polite)? Okay, Gloria Borger was born in 1952, so that means that she's 59. Here's Paul. We're gonna go to the phones here. Somebody has to bail me out here 'cause I'm getting steamed. My patience wearing very thin.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: I always get this wrong. It was Clark Clifford that called Reagan an "amiable dunce." Clark Clifford. But, you know, I don't care. Clark Clifford, Tip O'Neill, Averell Harriman, Lyndon Johnson, it doesn't matter. They're all the same. They're interchangeable. Any one of them would have call Reagan "amiable dunce" or worse so I'm really not wrong.