For those who may have forgotten, Ronald Reagan was a big fan of the Taliban or, as they were then known, the Mujaheddin (freedom fighters). At the time, they were fighting the Russians (then part of the Soviet Union), who had occupied their country, much as they now are fighting another occupying army — ours. America and the USSR were still locked in the grip of the Cold War, and any enemies of theirs were friends of ours. Reagan was so enamored of the Taliban that he dedicated the space shuttle Columbia to them in 1982. “Just as the Columbia, we think, represents man’s finest aspirations in the field of science and technology,” the then President said, “so too does the struggle of the Afghan people represent man’s highest aspirations for freedom. I am dedicating on behalf of the American people the March 22 launch of the Columbia to the people of Afghanistan.” Reagan met with the leaders of the group which would eventually become the Taliban and al Quaeda in the Oval Office and even compared them favorably to the Founding Fathers of the United States.
Posted on: Sun, 08 Jun 2014 02:52:20 +0000
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