Mr. Obama, Tear Down Your Wall!: Reflections After 20 Years

I recently attended an event at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Museum celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The event titled: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of the Wall: Reflections from Yesterday, Lessons for Today, was a conference packed with an impressive list of speakers ranging from world leaders, dignitaries and influential personalities from around the world.

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The event was comprised of three panel sessions and a luncheon keynote speech. The goal of the conference was to look at specific events that led to the fall of the wall, the people responsible, the impact of that historic event, and the legacy of the man who led the charge to end the Cold War, Ronald Reagan. There were two sessions that stood out at this event. The first was the keynote speech by former Secretary of State for Ronald Reagan, George P Shultz. His speech shed light into the unique leadership Ronald Reagan provided that we fail to find in our elected officials today. Shultz delivered a rare look into the mindset of the Soviets at the time, and the determination and constancy of purpose that Reagan possessed. He spoke of how Reagan approached the use of force with a subtle pot shot at the Obama administration.

Although he didn’t mention Obama by name, he spoke of the time when the U.S. invaded Grenada. Reagan sought counsel from his military leaders on the invasion strategy. His Generals asked for a specific number of troops to successfully invade and rescue the 250 Americans being held hostage. Reagan responded by saying, “Take that number and double it, there will be less casualties on both sides.” Shultz went on to say, “Today the General on the ground in Afghanistan requested 40,000 more troops from the President, and the President responded with ‘I’ll get back to you on that.’ That would be unconscionable in a Reagan White House,” concluded Shultz — to long applause from the roughly 500 in attendances.

Shultz spoke of Reagan as a man of humility who believed, “One man can accomplish great things as long as he doesn’t care who gets the credit.” Everyone who spoke during this event agreed Reagan was never comfortable with the credit he was given for ending the Cold War because so many people were part of the solution. It was clear the humility of Reagan had a lasting effect on all who worked with him and it was also very clear that humility was something we are not seeing in the current President.

Former White House speechwriter for Reagan and drafter of the famous “Tear down this Wall” speech, Peter Robinson, commenting on the personality of Reagan said, “Reagan would have said, ‘No thank you, I don’t deserve the Nobel Peace Prize.'” Robinson also spoke of the harsh resistance Reagan received from bureaucrats throughout the government about the line in his Berlin Wall speech: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!“ Reagan asked all of his advisors their thoughts about removing the line from the speech and they all agreed it should be removed. Reagan responded by saying, “I’m the President and it’s my decision, right? The line stay’s in.” He reflected that Reagan delivering that line was a special time in many Soviet occupied countries.

Mart Laar, former Prime Minster for Estonia, mentioned that Reagan’s principles helped him construct a system in Estonia with privatization and a flat tax that led to a strong economy for his citizens. Laar said, “I have a picture of Reagan in my office. When panelist Steve Forbes was asked if there was an unfinished legacy after the fall of the wall, Forbes replied: “Yes, we don’t have a picture of Reagan in OUR President’s office.”

Throughout this event there was one consistent message, a message that left me more concerned about the direction of our country than ever. Czech President Vaclav Kalus expressed concern with our current administration and its policies saying the U.S.A. is becoming a Marxist country. Mart Laar screamed to the crowd, “Remember, people, YOU WON THE COLD WAR!” Poland’s head economist warned us that there is truly no freedom without capitalism. These comments made me realize that former communist countries, their leaders and people know far more about Marxism and communism than we ever will. They know the smell, the taste and the effects of tyranny. They are more familiar with freedom and liberty because it’s fresh in their mind. In fact, these leaders sounded more like our Founders than our current leaders do and want to see a strong America comprised of people from all nations that stands for liberty and freedom and not big government controlling industries and taking over private companies.

During the event I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with many of these world leaders and dignitaries. People like Nancy Regan, Ed Meese (United States Attorney General, 1985-1988); Richard Allen (National Security Advisor, 1981-1982), John Lehman (Secretary of the Navy, 1981-1987), Lord Charles Powell (Foreign Advisor to Margaret Thatcher, 1983-1990) and Czech President Klaus.

Why is it that our media doesn’t speak to these leaders and reveal their thoughts on the present direction of our country? Could it be that they think it would confirm the Tea Party protesters’ concerns? I think so. Whatever the case, during this 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and end of the Cold War, we need to turn to those who understand how to defeat tyranny and recognize who in our government is advancing that tyranny.

We need to find leaders that think like Reagan, the man who said, “Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty.” America has an enemy in the White House and many more in Congress. It’s time we demand. “MR.OBAMA, TEAR DOWN YOUR WALL.”