Posted on 06/06/2004 5:59:52 PM PDT by Pokey78
Lady Thatcher will deliver a eulogy at Ronald Reagan's funeral, it emerged yesterday, as America mourned the death of one of the most influential and colourful presidents of the 20th century.
Long before he died on Saturday night after a decade-long battle against Alzheimer, Mr Reagan asked his old friend and ideological ally if she would pay tribute at the service.
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Her 10-minute address will be one of the highlights of the state funeral on Friday in the National Cathedral in Washington.
It is expected to be the most emotional state occasion in Washington since the funeral of John F Kennedy in 1963 and is being compared in political significance with the funeral in 1944 of Franklin D Roosevelt, the last president to have engineered a similar revolution in US politics.
Lady Thatcher, who has had to give up formal public speaking on the advice of her doctors, recorded her remarks before Mr Reagan's death. Her speech will be broadcast during the service, which she will attend. It is believed to be the first time a non-American has been invited to deliver a eulogy at a US president's funeral.
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Flags flew at half-mast across America and shrines of flowers formed outside the many public buildings bearing the Reagan name to honour the former president, who died, aged 93, at his Los Angeles home with his wife, Nancy, at his side.
Today his coffin starts a five-day journey, allowing Americans the opportunity to mourn in person the passing of the "Great Communicator".
His body will travel to the Reagan presidential library in Simi Valley, California, where it will lie in state for two days. It will then be flown to Washington to lie in state in the Capitol on Wednesday night and Thursday.
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The funeral takes place on Friday, when hundreds of thousands of people are expected to throng the capital. The body will be carried on a gun carriage from the Capitol to the White House. From there a hearse will carry it to the cathedral.
There will then be a private sunset burial on Friday in his beloved California where he began his journey from Hollywood to the White House.
President George W Bush led America in tributes, hailing Mr Reagan at the D-Day 60th anniversary commemorations as a "gallant leader in the cause of freedom".
His life spanned all the great events of the 20th century and his death caused a wave of nostalgia for a leader whose easy-going charm did so much to soften the hostility that his politics sometimes provoked.
Present and former world leaders, including Mikhail Gorbachev and the Pope, saluted Mr Reagan, in particular for helping to end the Cold War and for his fight against Alzheimer's.
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Lady Thatcher said: "President Reagan was one of my closest political and dearest personal friends. He will be missed not only by those who knew him and not only by the nation that he served so proudly and loved so deeply but also by millions of men and women who live in freedom today because of the policies he pursued.
"Ronald Reagan had a higher claim than any other leader to have won the Cold War for liberty and he did it without a shot being fired."
Tony Blair said: "President Reagan will be remembered as a good friend of Britain."
"Lady Thatcher, who has had to give up formal public speaking on the advice of her doctors, recorded her remarks before Mr Reagan's death."
What's wrong? A health problem?
I believe she's had a series of small strokes.
Thanks, I'm sorry to hear that. I admire her too.
This is pretty awesome. I may have to take a day of vacation to watch this.
Very much so. She will be the next major icon to go, most likely. Especially since she's been ignoring doctor's orders to invoke The Cause once again. It is good to go on to God when fighting the good fight. I wish her well.
Wasn't she experiencing signs of ill health when she
left office?
So she will fly here for the service! Wonderful!!! Perhaps she has something that keeps her from being able to speak but she felt she needed to be at the service for her old friend and partner.
I read a very sad article that since her husband passed away, she rarely even leaves her home and nobody comes and visits.
I'm thinking the same way. (Maybe only several hours, rather than a day, but I think I want to watch at home where no one will notice my tears.)
ML/NJ
One of her final acts in office was to pressure US President George H. W. Bush to deploy troops to the Middle East to drive Saddam Hussein's army out of Kuwait. Bush was somewhat apprehensive about the plan, but Thatcher famously told him that this was "no time to go wobbly!"
Seems President Bush took her advice.
"Ronald Reagan had a higher claim than any other leader to have won the Cold War for liberty and he did it without a shot being fired."
Yeah, there's gonna be some tears. Not much makes me cry, but the memory of this man, and what he means to me is big.
I expect to be crying this week.
This troika, btw, won the Cold War...together.
I have an extra 2 beds, so I can accommodate 4 people. I have a condo right off the Huntington Metro.
www.montebellomarketing.com
We have 4 bowling lanes and 2 pools.
If she sent me a ticket id come and visit and do the windows shes awesome
The Iron lady was diagnosed with Altzheimers two years ago. It will be incredible to see her in public!!
I agree completely.
BTW, the people who wrote this article don't know their terminology. Reagan's body will lie in "repose" at his Presidential library. It will lie in "state" in the Capitol. And flags only fly at "half-mast" on a ship. I'm going to put this half-mast/half-staff journalistic faux pas right up there with referring to Navy Corpsmen as "medics" (that ticked me off to no end last year when the war was going full swing). You'd think they'd learn the difference!
Its too bad they dont bring him cross country on a train the way they did Lincoln and Roosevelt so pople could gather and watch the train come through.
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