No one felt the full force of Ronald Reagan?s political might more than Walter Mondale, who was buried under a 49-state landslide when he ran against Reagan in the 1984 presidential election. And like President Carter and the other Democrats who opposed Reagan before him, Mondale learned the hard way not to discount Reagan?s political skills.

?I?ve often been asked if I underestimated Ronald Reagan, and I say I sure did,? the former vice president and Minnesota senator said yesterday as he paid tribute to the late president as someone who had ?a special touch? for instilling a sense of confidence in the American people and for moving the nation in a new direction.

No Walter, you did not underestimate the political skills of Ronald Reagan. You misunderstood the American people and underestimated their comprehension of complex issues and vision in voting for a man that possessed moral clarity and lived according to principles that matched their values.

And 20 years of public education, removing God from every facet of our public lives, and an endless stream of moral-destroying sitcoms and movies has not changed it.

The Left wants to believe that Bush is another Carter, when the heartland knows that Bush is far more similar to Reagan. Advantage: Bush. Landslide in 2004.