Palin: Reagan Would Be Proud of Us

Ronald Reagan is getting quite a birthday fete. A Super Bowl video, commemorative jelly beans, a Jonas Brothers concert, and praise from top politicians. It’s not all about Reagan, though. The timing of what would have been the former president’s 100th birthday makes it a perfect opportunity for prospective 2012 Republican presidential contenders to try to claim Reagan’s mantle. At an event in Santa Barbara, Sarah Palin kicked off a weekend of celebrations of Reagan’s 100th birthday. "I think President Reagan would be so proud of the conservative movement today," she said, and invoked Reagan’s early ‘60s “Time for Choosing” speech. “We are at a crossroads, but this is a time for choosing, and the choices before us are as clear now as they were in 1964." The choice: “get big government out of the way and there is no reason that we cannot win.” Dick Cheney will speak Saturday, and the Beach Boys will play at the Ronald Regan library. Newt Gingrich, out with a Reagan photo book, also spoke on Friday, saying Reagan would want the Republican party "to be more solution-oriented, more optimistic and to pay more attention to foreign policy.” The official memorial on Sunday will be more staid, involving a 21-gun salute and a speech by former Secretary of State James Baker.