Why, you ask? Because he said
this:
"Hillary and I will always remember President Ronald Reagan for the way he personified the indomitable optimism of the American people, and for keeping America at the forefront of the fight for freedom for people everywhere."
Wha?!? I suspect many "people everywhere" around the world would disagree. For example, the surviving citizens of El Mozote, El Salvador:
The El Mozote Massacre took place in the village of El Mozote, in the department of Morazón, El Salvador, on December 11, 1981 when Salvadoran armed forces slaughtered an estimated 900 civilians in an anti-guerrilla campaign. It is thought to be the worst such atrocity in modern Latin American history.
The massacre was both a low point and a turning point in the bitter civil war that ravaged this Central American country between the late 1970s and early 1990s. As news of the massacre slowly emerged, the Reagan administration in the United States dismissed it as propaganda because it seriously undermined efforts by the US government to bolster the human rights image of the Salvadoran government, which the US was supporting with large amounts of military aid.
Subsequently, however, the details of the massacre were verified, and it has come to be perceived as a tragic manifestation of the US's Cold War-driven priorities at the time.
Sure, I understand that our prominent Democratic leaders cannot afford to look churlish in the wake of Reagan's death. I don't even mind if they throw a little praise his way. But it has to be carefully measured, not ceding essential points about his presidency. Kerry handled this delicate balance much better, in my view:
"Ronald Reagan's love of country was infectious," Senator Kerry said in a statement. "Even when he was breaking Democrats' hearts, he did so with a smile and in the spirit of honest and open debate."
Note that Kerry's blandishments are far more vague than Clinton's. Kerry never gives Reagan credit for any specific accomplishments or for being right on policy--he only credits Reagan with being, essentially, a personally affable sort who loved his country (as Al Franken observes, Republicans do love America, the way a small child loves his mommy). And by including the mention of "breaking Democrats' hearts" in the statement he reminds us that he still sharply disagrees with Reagan's politics and policy.
Far different than endorsing the right wing meme that Reagan's foreign policy (and by extension, that of conservative Republicans generally) promoted "freedom for people everywhere". What in the world were you thinking, Big Dog?