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Doug Patton

In this file photo from Feb. 20, 1985, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is seen with her friend and political ally President Ronald Reagan during a visit to the White House in Washington. Thatcher, who led Britain for 11 years, died of a stroke Monday morning, April 8, 2013. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)

The Gipper and the Iron Lady tower over today's 'leaders'

Last updated Thursday, April 11, 2013 - 4:50pm

Back when I was still writing speeches and giving policy advice to naive candidates foolish enough to listen to me, I once told a young, first-time congressional candidate who was depressed about all the negative attacks coming his way that you can tell a lot about a man by the enemies he attracts. Such was the case with Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.

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Romney shows up; Obama phones it in

Doug Patton Cagle Cartoons

Last updated Friday, October 5, 2012 - 12:36pm

There were no "there you go again" moments. There wasn’t even a solid, hilarious zinger, such as "I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience." Ronald Reagan is gone, may he rest in peace. Mitt Romney is the 2012 Republican nominee, and he made skeptical conservatives proud in his first face-to-face confrontation with the 44th President of the United States.

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Jimmy Obama, meet your worst nightmare, Ronald Romney

Doug Patton Cagle Cartoons

Last updated Thursday, September 13, 2012 - 1:29pm

One of the remarkable things about getting older is the opportunity to see history repeat itself. Those of us who are old enough to remember enduring the abysmal economy of the late 1970s frequently tend to forget that there were other factors in Ronald Reagan’s landslide victory over Jimmy Carter in the 1980 election.

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FILE - In this Aug. 25, 2012 file photo, Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and his vice presidential running mate Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., arrive for a campaign rally in Powell, Ohio. They're the political world's newest odd couple: Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are bound by substance, but dramatically different in style. The running mates share a love of policy, and a fascination with the world's economy and America's place in it. But where Romney is buttoned-up and reserved on the campaign trail, Ryan is relaxed and exudes a natural enthusiasm. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

And it’s Romney-Ryan in a landslide!

Doug Patton Cagle Cartoons

Last updated Thursday, August 30, 2012 - 1:37pm

This week, I’m going out on a limb by publicly stating an opinion I have been expressing privately for some time: I believe Mitt Romney will defeat Barack Obama in a near landslide comparable to Ronald Reagan’s win over Jimmy Carter in 1980.

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If I ran a super PAC

Doug Patton Cagle Cartoons

Last updated Friday, August 24, 2012 - 2:20pm

At one time or another, most people have fantasized about what they would do if they were rich. I’m talking what we used to call filthy rich. I know what I would do. I would start a Super PAC. I would fund it myself, write the ads, make the media buys, and drive liberals crazy. It would be so much fun.

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100 million gun owners didn’t kill anyone last week

Doug Patton Cagle Cartoons

Last updated Friday, July 27, 2012 - 12:48pm

"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes." — Thomas Jefferson. For my 10th birthday, I wanted a BB gun. Like the mother in "A Christmas story," mom simply said, "You’ll shoot your eye out." Dad had a wiser response. He gave me a choice. I could have the BB gun or a pair of Roy Rogers cap pistols I had been admiring. He made it clear to me that once I owned a weapon that actually fired real projectiles — even if they were only BBs — my toy gun days were over. I chose the pistols, and he knew I wasn’t ready for the real thing.

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