George Will bashing Ronald Reagan? Just when we were getting used to the new Senator Warner, now Mr. Will has a stunt double writing his columns. According to Will, Ronald Reagan was not a true conservative because his conservatism was "without anxieties." And, assert Will and like-minded author John Patrick Diggins, because Reagan did not subscribe to "melancholy fatalism."

Will and Diggins then go on to make false claims about Ronald Reagan's religious beliefs, that are in stark contrast to Reagan's message of personal responsibility. It was Ronald Reagan who took on the Great Society and said there was "no free lunch." Further, they say that "Reagan's popularity was largely the result of 'his blaming government for problems that are inherent in democracy itself.'" Nothing could be further from the truth. To believe Will and Diggins, one must believe that big government and high taxes are "inherent in democracy," a ridiculous suggestion that has no basis in fact or logic.

Finally, they offer this whopper: "Reagan's theory of government has little reference to the principles of the American founding." Absolute rubbish, which could only be posited by persons who have no knowledge of American history. Were high taxes a major issue in our Revolution? I would go out on a limb and say they were. Was government control of an individual's liberties and commercial activity an issue? Yes, claro que si.

We seem to have a continuing attempt by some to claim that Reagan conservatives and religious conservatives are false conservatives. They state that we have lost our way from the true path of the Goldwater era and that conservatism is simply about fiscal issues. In an attempt to feel less ashamed at their Washington and Hollywood cocktail parties, they are prepared to toss social issues overboard in hopes that they will be accepted by the liberal elite. But that is a road to ruin. To abandon our defense of life and liberty, as well as our values, is the road to destruction.

The reason Ronald Reagan was popular was precisely because he was not a "melancholy fatalist." Reagan was an optimist. We have a superior message to what liberals offer. We have the American dream, opportunity and ownership societies, national security, low taxes, less government, and defense of traditional values. If Will and Diggins want a melancholy President who will lecture the people about why they should be ashamed and be prepared for painful sacrifices, it's not to late for them to start a Draft Jimmy Carter website.