Cold Warrior Weinberger Dies

Caspar Weinberger, defense secretary under President Reagan, died today at age 88. Even in death, the media desires to paint him as an evil right winger. Just read the brief article and note:

Weinberger, who presided over an unprecedented peacetime military buildup costing more than $1 trillion...Weinberger performed with gusto the task of persuading Congress to spend over $1 trillion on arms in Reagan's first term and billions more after that.

(Media translation: he spent money needlessly on U.S. defense.)

He also steadfastly opposed concessions to Moscow in arms control negotiations advocated by Secretary of State George Shultz and other more moderate members of the Cabinet.

(Media translation: he was a right-wing idealogue and was anything but "moderate.")

He made himself unpopular with many lawmakers by his unbending, often contentious push for funds for arms and for Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative -- a program, commonly known as "Star Wars," to develop a land- and space-based shield against incoming ballistic missiles.

("Star Wars" was the term coined by the media to belittle SDI.)

He called "absurd" a White House decision in 1985 to sell arms to Iran but supported Reagan a year later after the president decided to send missiles and spare parts to Tehran.

(Media translation: he was a "liar.")

For devoting his life to public service and helping Reagan to win the Cold War, you would think Cap would receive a slightly more glorious writeup.