In a sea of Republican presidential hopefuls that invoke Reagan about as much as the average person references their mothers, receiving the Ronald Reagan award seems to be the Everest of accolades. And such was the case at last night’s Frontiers of Freedom Ronald Reagan gala, where Mitt Romney sought to channel the legendary leader’s charisma, optimism and folksy feel.

Just as Reagan did when he warned against the “unprecedented danger” of communism, Romney laced his speech with warnings of modern day foreign threats like North Korea. But, like Reagan, he also channeled optimism. As he often does, Romney invoked Reagan’s famous line that “I have seen four wars during my lifetime and none of them began because America was too strong.”

Romney also used his speech-- which he opened by praising the day’s “life affirming” Supreme Court decision-- to allude to his religious convictions (hint: they’re not unlike yours, Christian Conservatives). He referenced Isaiah when highlighting his foreign policy goals and cited Cain and Abel when talking about the Virginia Tech shootings. He also said that after hearing about the tragedy in Blacksburg, “the first thing I did was pick up my bible.”

Speaking before a room full of black-and-white tuxedos, Romney’s speech was, fittingly, a study in contrasts: He spoke of life and death, good and evil, small vs. big. And for a candidate who’s plagued by accusations of policy shifts and flips flops, he wanted to make one thing certain: he’s the Reagan candidate. And he’s prepared to make as many Peggy Noonan or “Shining City” references as it takes, till they believe him. [NORA MCALVANAH]

Labels: awards, Ronald Reagan