As president, Reagan was a giant (Peggy Noonan)

MSNBC ^ | June 5, 2004 | Peggy Noonan

[Peach]

Peggy Noonan was special assistant and speechwriter to Reagan. She is also an author of numerous books, including 'When Character Was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan.' She's currently a political analyst on MSNBC.

You are very lucky when you can work for a great man or a great woman, and be even a small part of his or her efforts. 

Ronald Reagan was a great communicator not because he said things in an unusual way but because he said great things—things that were true and needed saying.  Those on the left in his day always thought Reagan had some magical way of expressing himself.  He didn't.  It was what he said that was important, not how he said it. 

He entered his presidency and immediately told the truth about expansionist communism—that was news. It hadn’t been done by a U.S. president in a long time, and never in quite the way he did it.  Reagan called Soviet communism bankrupt and said it would end in our time.  They laughed, but he was right.  And in being right, and truthful, he reignited a somnolent West, and gave heart to heroes like Natan Scharansky in the Soviet Union.

[mrustow]

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free. Ronald Reagan

Compare that to this:

You are very lucky when you can work for a great man or a great woman, and be even a small part of his or her efforts.

The pc bug bit Peggy Noonan, too! Now let's look at that lead in English:

You are very lucky when you can work for a great man, and be even a small part of his efforts.

Now, isn't that better?

[Denver Ditdat]

We must remember not to act like them when Clinton dies.

Exactly.

Much better than the spittle-flecked rants of the haters at DU is simple silence.

[InABunkerUnderSF]

Thanks for posting the Peggy Noonan piece.

I think she is one of the few people who really understood the depth of Ronald Reagan as more than just a "Great Communicator" but as a very intelligent, well read man with sound values, great courage and unmatched commitment to the principles of freedom.

[goldstategop]

What divides us and the other side is we have class. They're just gigolos and whores turnin' political tricks.

[cubreporter]

His OWN personal journey has ended and his work is finished.

[nutmeg]

bump