Tip’s Long Good-Bye

When destiny threw conservatives and Tip O’Neill together at the start of the decade, it was like many arranged marriages. Mr. O’Neill moaned that he had been matched with Snidely Whiplash. The Right was repelled, as if its bride were cross-eyed and smelled of yeast. Accusations, curses, and the dishes flew for six years, with Mr. O’Neill finally walking out two months ago.

But just as Moses would have been nothing without Pharaoh, and Hal would not have turned out so well without Falstaff, Ronald Reagan and his conservative followers are indebted to Tip O’Neill. Stars only shine when surrounded by darkness. Nobody’s asking that he be captured and returned to his post; but there is reason for flags to fly at half-staff at the Heritage Foundation, the Viguerie Company, and other conservative strongholds. Mr. O’Neill, who has stepped down after ten years as House Speaker, played his part in the Reagan Revolution.

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Dave Shiflett

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When destiny threw conservatives and Tip O’Neill together at the start of the decade, it was like many arranged marriages. Mr. O’Neill moaned that he had been matched with Snidely Whiplash. The Right was repelled, as if its bride were cross-eyed and smelled of yeast. Accusations, curses, and the dishes flew for six years, with Mr. O’Neill finally walking out two months ago.

But just as Moses would have been nothing without Pharaoh, and Hal would not have turned out so well without Falstaff, Ronald Reagan and his conservative followers are indebted to Tip O’Neill. Stars only shine when surrounded by darkness. Nobody’s asking that he be captured and returned to his post; but there is reason for flags to fly at half-staff at the Heritage Foundation, the Viguerie Company, and other conservative strongholds. Mr. O’Neill, who has stepped down after ten years as House Speaker, played his part in the Reagan Revolution.