: "As much as anything in the first year (the way Reagan handled the air-traffic controllers strike) convinced people in other capitals around the world, including the Soviet leaders, that they had a person of real substance that they were dealing with here. ... He didn't look back (on firing the workers) because he was convinced it was the only thing he could do under the law. He didn't worry unnecessarily or bemoan what occurred. He looked on to the next challenge and what was the next thing to do.
