James Forsyth James Forsyth

Wanted: a party leader willing to talk about defence

In this election campaign, no one wants to mention the bear in the room

Photo credit should read LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images 
issue 14 March 2015
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[/audioplayer]In the 1984 US presidential election, Ronald Reagan came up with an effective way of embarrassing his rival Walter Mondale over defence. ‘There’s a bear in the woods,’ ran his television advert, showing a grizzly bear wandering through a forest.
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