"A man (sic) has the right to his own opinions, but not to his own facts."

Goddamn, this gets old:

"Every man has a right to his own opinion, but no man has a right to be wrong in his facts" is credited to American financier Bernard M. Baruch (1870-1965), who probably said it in the 1940s. James R. Schlesinger, United States Secretary of Defense from 1973 to 1975, is credited with saying: "Each of us is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts." Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1927-2003), United States Senator from New York from 1976 to 2000, is also credited with saying: "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."

Reagan's personal version of that one was

"Facts are stupid things"

What you think you know about Reagan...is probably wrong-

<link>

...he should have heeded his own advice. Although, given his mental condition, I think we can cut him some slack, since he no doubt honestly believed most of his own pronouncements. Or simply didn't remember them.

Opinions are stupid things, in some cases.

Thanks for that link. The hagiographic deification of Reagan was/is one of the things that really pisses me off about modern "conservative thought".

GWB was Reagan with a rubber stamp congress. So if GWB is someone conservatives want to run away from, so should Reagan be.

But of course that would leave them rudderless with no meaningful and succesful leader to point to.

Hypocrisy, thy name is conservativism.