I think that once a person (in this case, Reagan) crosses in to criminality and directly and clearly subverting the rule of law and the constitutuion, that person loses all their conservative “bona fides”. Full stop.
Did he though, cross into criminal actions or subvert the rule of law? Or rather were loopholes exploited? In matters of foreign affairs and national security presidents are given wide latitude. Israel was also involved assisting Iran with arms sales as they were at war with Iraq then. Contras were being sourced with non-appropriated funds.
When the glass is half full or half empty, I hesitate to go full stop and will differ with you on erasing his other conservative bona fides.
Yes, taking weapons into central america and then, in exchange, bringing street drugs into the usa to poison americans (and in full circumvention of US law) was no “loophole”, it was full criminality.