The Iron Lady, An American Hero

by Nick Stone of Drawnlines Politics:

Republican presidential contenders have found plenty of ways to distinguish themselves from the field, but they all sing from the same hymnal on one point: channeling Ronald Reagan.  Drawnlines readers have already gotten an ad nauseum spiel about the greatness of The Great Communicator.  But we often forget the things that made Ronald Reagan a great president were also evident in his closest ally abroad.  As Reagan led the fight to unleash the American spirit by unleashing Americans, Lady Margaret Thatcher was just as busy putting Britain on the move by putting the British people in the driver's seat.

Reagan and Thatcher personified the great relationship every bit as much as Roosevelt and Churchill, and the stakes of their success in the world community were every bit as high.  Where the two nations came together to face Nazi expansionism during WWII, so they stood together against Communist expansionism in the 1980's.  Domestically, the two great leaders championed a massive roll-back of the nanny state that empowered citizens to take ownership of their own futures and allowed the freedom to prosper or fail based on one's merits and labor.

What a truly special bond indeed.

The new movie The Iron Lady lends an occasion to fondly reflect on the 1980's, a time of British rebirth and exceptionalism.  Examples of her heroic leadership range from the Falklands War to the bombing at Brighton, denationalization of British industry and ironically, the Poll Tax that abruptly ended her term as prime minister.  She was never afraid to do what was right, however unpopular.  Lady Thatcher reminded her countrymen to be strong in the face of adversity, to believe in themselves and to invest in the future of Britain by investing in the success of Britons.

Lady Thatcher wasn't just a great leader to her own countrymen.  She was also an unwavering and inspirational friend to British allies.  She stood beside President Reagan in reassurance that his policies of strength and freedom put America on the right side of history.  It is for that reason that both Americans and Britons feel a great sense of national pride as we honor the legacy of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, The Iron Lady.

She is, for many Americans, a national hero.  She is, forever, a world legend.

Posted by Drawnlines Politics on 4:13 AM. Filed under Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, World . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0