America at 250 may now be 'in permanent decline': ex-Reagan official

Reagan called it 'a shining city on a hill.' Clinton called it 'the indispensable nation.' One writer says America no longer deserves either title.

Until recently, most Americans took pride in our country’s standing as leader of the free world. That leadership had its share of moral and strategic failures, yet we successfully confronted and defeated Nazi fascism and Soviet communism. President Reagan called us “a shining city on a hill,” and President Clinton dubbed us “the indispensable nation.” At the time, those titles felt justified. America led and promoted a rules-based international …

America at 250 may now be 'in permanent decline': ex-Reagan official

During her years as a speechwriter in the Reagan White House, conservative columnist/author Mona Charen often echoed President Ronald Reagan's "morning in America" themes. But Charen, writing for The Bulwark, acknowledges that she's greeting the United States' 250th anniversary with a heavy heart thanks to Donald Trump's second presidency and policies she considers disastrous."The approach of July Fourth is making my heart hurt," Charen laments …