It is ironic that President Obama’s approach to the Middle East and his terrorism policies are more aligned with President Reagan’s rather than the current crop of Republican “want to be” presidential candidates.

Reagan learned, through horrific loss of American lives in the Middle East, that the terrorist’s object is to produce the very fear and psychological behavior that has been the hallmark of our country’s initial response in Lebanon in 1983 and then towards Iraq following 9/11; lash out, bomb the hell out of a country or area, invade a country not responsible for 9/11, kill thousands of innocent lives throughout the Middle East, thus guaranteeing that the terrorists will have a never-ending body of recruits.

In 1982, over three decades ago, President Reagan set in motion a series of foreign policy decisions involving the Middle East that are worthy of revisiting today. The Middle East then, as now, was being torn apart by terrorist activity brought into play by Lebanon’s civil war. When Lebanon’s government sought UN intervention, President Reagan, over the unanimous opposition of his Joint Chiefs of Staff, authorized the deployment of 1,800 Marines, to serve as peacekeepers with French, Italian, and British military troops.

Throughout 1982 our Marines would be deployed into Lebanon and then redeployed back to the safety of our ships offshore. On April 15, 1983, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut was bombed by a suicide driver, killing 63 people, including 17 Americans. This embassy bombing remains the most lethal attack on a U.S. Embassy, making Benghazi pale in comparison.

Congress was a much more responsible and intelligent body then. Although they authorized an additional $251 million of economic and military aid to Lebanon, they required the president to seek congressional approval for any expanded U.S. military role. Arizona’s Sen. Barry Goldwater responded to the embassy bombing and the terrorism unfolding by stating, “I think it’s high time we bring the boys home.” Sen. Goldwater’s advice went unheeded. Reagan put the boys in harm’s way by redeploying them to back to Lebanon.

In October 1983, in response to five Marines killed in three different incidents, Reagan authorized the USS New Jersey to bombard the Druze militia and Syrian forces, but lashing out blindly had horrible consequences.

Not able to strike our Navy, the enemy/terrorists had little problem against the relatively defenseless Marine barracks located at the Beirut International Airport. Suicide drivers drove two trucks loaded with over 12,000 pound of explosives into the Marine barracks, killing 220 Marines and 21 other service members. In less than two years, America had lost 258 Americans, and Lebanon was no better off for our efforts.

Reagan’s response to the Marine slaughter was bluster. The day after the Marines’ deaths, Reagan outlined America’s commitment. “The reason they [the Marines] must stay there until the situation is under control is quite clear. We have vital interest in Lebanon. And our actions in Lebanon are in the cause of world peace.” On Dec. 1, 1983, Reagan, stated that the Marines would remain in Beirut “to demonstrate the strength of our commitment to peace in the Middle East... Their presence is making it possible for reason to triumph over the forces of violence, hatred and intimidation.”

On Feb. 4, 1984, Reagan warned that if the United States withdraws, “we’ll be sending one signal to terrorists everywhere: They can gain by waging war against innocent people... If we’re to be secure in our homes and in the world, we must stand together against those who threaten us.”

Yet three days later, on Feb. 7, President Reagan ordered the Marines back to the ships offshore; three weeks later a full withdrawal was achieved. President Reagan then, like President Obama today, was aware of the limitations of America’s might.

Many commentators, especially neoconservatives, maintain then and now, that Reagan’s withdrawal encouraged and emboldened future terrorists’ actions. Osama bin Laden cited President Reagan and America’s withdrawal from Lebanon as a sign of weakness. Yet most Americans favorably viewed Reagan’s action, citing the cost savings and the additional loss of American lives that Reagan avoid in the quicksands of the Middle East.

President Reagan’s greatest leadership from his presidency was his ability of learning from his mistakes and refusing to do what was expected of him from either the terrorists and more importantly, the neoconservatives within his party.

In response to neoconservatives’ demands that troops be sent to South America toward the end of his presidency, Reagan told his chief of staff Kenneth Duberstein, “Those sons of bitches won’t be happy until we have 25,000 troops in Managua and I’m not going to do it.”

Reagan’s calm leadership — together with a Congress composed of leaders, rather than politicians — made us safer by ignoring the very hysteria that the terrorists rely upon for success. I wonder how Reagan’s actions would have fared under today’s Republicans and Fox News?

Obama, like Reagan, has made his share of mistakes and has learned from them. Being the president of the United States involves much, and the second guessing comes with the job. Events, lives lost and saved, and yes, history will judge President Reagan and Obama’s leadership; their successes and failures.

President Reagan revisited his actions in Lebanon years later in his memoirs. He stated that sending Marines into Lebanon was his “greatest regret and greatest sorrow.”

President Reagan also warned future generations. “Perhaps we didn’t appreciate fully enough the depth of the hatred and the complexity of the problems that make the Middle East such a jungle.” His memoirs go into detail as to when and how presidents should determine when to deploy U.S. troops abroad, reminding us that, “Even after all these other tests are met, our troops should be committed to combat abroad only as a last resort, when no other choice is available.”

If today’s current crop of Republicans continues to cite President Reagan’s foreign policy credentials and world leadership, then I encourage them to actually read Reagan’s memoirs and take to heart the lessons he learned and the advice he left us.

For the rest of us, it’s time to “man (and woman) up” and face terrorism calmly, courageously, and united. There is nothing more that the terrorist would love to see than America tearing itself apart by surrendering our liberties and our confidence in our resolve. The best way that we, as Americans, can defeat the terrorist, is to be willing to trade the almost negligible chances of our dying from a terrorist attack and get on with living.

Tom Muri is a resident of Whitefish.