Spring Break
Former Ambassador of NATO compares Bush and Reagan
By: Allison LaRocca
Issue date: 10/27/05 Section: News
 Whitney Martin - The Battalion Former Special Counselor to President Ronald Reagan and Former United States Ambassador to NATO, David M. Abshire speaks at The ConocoPhillips White House Lecture Series located in Annenberg Presidential Conference Center Wednesday evening. Abshire lectured on his experiences in the White House and his studies on the leadership styles of past United States´ Presidents. |
The United States is at a turning point in history as President Bush is facing challenges reminiscent of those faced during World War II, said David Abshire, former special counselor to President Ronald Reagan, Wednesday.
"To plagiarize Lincoln, we can boldly save or meanly lose the great cause in the Middle East," Abshire said. "I don't know many differences of views in Washington that if we don't handle it successfully the consequences will be far more severe than Vietnam."
Abshire spoke at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center at the Bush Presidential Library Center as a part of the ConocoPhillips White House lecture series.
Abshire, an author whose most recent book is entitled "Saving the Reagan Presidency: Trust is the Coin of the Realm," said it would also be beneficial for Bush to look at other presidents, including Reagan, for guidance on how to recover from the recent leaks, linked to the White House, of the identity of a CIA agent.
"I don't know what's going to happen, but if the indictments are brought to bear, it's going to be a serious problem (for Bush)," Abshire said. "The situation is not exactly like the Iran-Contra affair, but the principles are the same."
Abshire served as United States Ambassador to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) from 1983-1987 and helped guide Reagan through the Iran-Contra affair.
"The Iran-Contra (affair) is a morality play: a tragedy that ended in triumph," he said. "To understand the greatness of Ronald Reagan's break-out of the affair, you must understand the depth of it."
Abshire said his job as a NATO ambassador was to scold United States allies that might send arms to Iran, which was on the list of terrorist nations.
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