20 years after he left the Oval Office for the final time and nearly five years since the old boy died, two things seem clear: Reagan’s achievements were greater than seemed possible at the time of his scandal-filled presidency; and those achievements have been willfully misinterpreted by a Republican Party that often seems blind to the changes that have swept America since the Reagan years. Perhaps it will be Morning in America again, but not in the way it was in 1980.

Alex is a born contrarian, something I strive at myself. Give him an inflated target, such as Reagan’s legacy with conservatives, and watch him go. You should also watch him go daily at his new digs at the Spectator.

One other thing: “Some of our NATO allies aren’t carrying their share of the military burden”. Well, that’s become the prevailing view and I dare say there’s some truth to it. Some troops probably could do with operating under more robust terms of engagement and all the rest of it. But all of them, regardless of nationality, would be better served by a strategy that had clear and realistic goals. Or to put it another way, if I were a Pomeranian, I’m not sure that it would be head-slappingly obvious to me that Afghanistan is worth the bones of any (or any more) of my grenadiers…