The Republican lessons: it is OK to lie as long as troops have already been sent in support of the lie; that it is OK to change the law to prove that a Democrat broke it; that the federal government is useless unless it can help fix an election for a Republican; that tax cuts are the answer even before the question is asked; and if someone plays a tough guy in the movies, he must be tough in real life

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Typically, history is written by the winners. But the Republicans often like to write history for us, anyway. Here is what a Republican might say about the following, which will be worth remembering if they get back into power:

President Carter: They say he was weak on foreign policy, especially in Afghanistan, where the Soviet Union invaded in 1979 and in Iran, where United States embassy workers were taken hostage by followers of the Ayatollah Khomeini the same year.

President Reagan: - He was tough in foreign policy. Other nations were afraid of him.

Fact check: Reagan continued Carter's Afghanistan policy by using the CIA to support the anti-communists there. Reagan secretly sold weapons to Iran in the hopes of getting back hostages held by pro-Iranian forces in Lebanon.

Tax cuts: They say that tax cuts, GOP-style, are good for our economy.

Fact check: The wealthy certainly benefited from Reagan and George W. Bush tax cuts. However, they have contributed to the budget deficit and debt, which the Republicans now decide they don't like. It should also be noted that the economy improved after President Clinton RAISED taxes in 1993.

President Clinton: They say he lied under oath and that he deserved to be impeached and should have been removed from office.

Fact check: Clinton lied under oath at a deposition for which he was a party. That is not a crime. The Constitution calls for impeachment for "Treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors." There was no impeachable offense.

2000 Election: They say that Al Gore kept on trying to change the outcome of an election that he lost.

Fact check: Al Gore was entitled under Florida law to an automatic recount by machine and subsequently a hand recount (at his expense) of any county or counties he wanted. He never got either request completed because of the federal courts, which had no business intervening.

Iraq War: They say George W. Bush told the truth about our need to go to war against Iraq.

Fact check: The Downing Street Memo, minutes of a meeting held by British ministers, indicates that Bush committed to go to war and justify it by "fixing the facts around the policy."

This is what I have learned from Republicans: that it is OK to lie as long as troops have already been sent in support of the lie; that it is OK to change the law to prove that a Democrat broke it; that the federal government is useless unless it can help fix an election for a Republican; that tax cuts are the answer even before the question is asked; and if someone plays a tough guy in the movies, he must be tough in real life.

Authors Website: http://www.deanhartwell.com

Authors Bio:
Dean Hartwell's book, "Planes without Passengers: the Faked Hijackings of 9/11," reached the top of Amazon's charts for large print books on history. He has authored three others: "Facts Talk but the Guilty Walk:the 9/11 No Hijacker Theory and Its Indictment of Our Leaders," "Dead Men Talking: Consequences of Government Lies" and "Truth Matters: How the Voters Can Take Back Their Nation."



Dean has a law degree and works for a local public agency in Southern California.