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Bush invokes Reagan as he woos conservatives

SIMI VALLEY: Facing a revolt from some conservatives who feel he has let them down, President George W Bush wrapped himself in the mantle of conservative icon Ronald Reagan on Friday as he likened his “war on terror” to Reagan’s struggle against communism. Bush hailed Reagan for “never backing down in the face of evil” as he spoke at the Reagan Presidential Library at the opening of an exhibit displaying the Air Force One plane that flew seven presidents, including both Reagan and Bush. Joined by his wife, Laura, and a frail former first lady Nancy Reagan, Bush also laid a wreath of white roses at Reagan’s grave site. Bush’s visit came as anger still simmered among conservatives at his pick of White House counsel Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court and over a buildup of government spending on Bush’s watch that has led to rising deficits. Bush’s overall approval ratings have fallen to the lowest levels of his presidency. As it did during last year’s presidential campaign, the White House is turning to national security as an issue that Bush aides hope can unify a fractured Republican base. At the Air Force One ceremony, Bush recalled Reagan’s 1982 prediction in London that freedom and democracy would leave communism on the “ash heap of history” and his 1987 call at the Berlin Wall for Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.” reuters

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