"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

Tuesday is the 20th anniversary of one of President Reagan's most famous speeches and Robert Stacy McCain at the Washington Times recounts how the epic line was nearly excised from the speech. Thank God he ignored them.

Top administration officials said the speech was all wrong. Too provocative, said the National Security Council. Too tough, said the State Department.

The president overruled his advisers and, as he rode through the streets of West Berlin on June 12, 1987, he told an aide that his speech at the Brandenburg Gate was simply "the right thing to do."

Addressing a crowd of thousands as he stood before the Berlin Wall -- the world's most notorious symbol of Soviet tyranny -- President Reagan declared: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

Tomorrow, former White House speechwriter Peter Robinson will recount the story behind those famous words during a special event at the Reagan Ranch Center here.

Read the rest.