another reason as well. most americans at the time firmed reagan's firm handling of the strike as a domestic matter, a confrontation between the president and the public sector union, but this misses a critical point in my view. to quote a phrase from another american moment, the whole world was watching. thanks to newspapers and television then, and increasingly now the internet and social media, what happens here doesn't stay here. this is not vegas. [laughter] another way of saying what i've just described is that americans do not have the luxury of thinking that what we've long viewed as purely domestic matters have no consequences beyond our borders. to the contrary. what we say and what we do at home affects how others see us and in turn affects what it is they say and they do.