Posted on 06/07/2004 4:18:55 PM PDT by Mike Bates
Ronald Reagans passing was poignant. At the same time, theres an unquestionable relief that the mans anguish, and that of his wife, have finally ended.
Almost a decade ago, he announced in a handwritten note that he was afflicted with Alzheimers disease. He wrote then of how he wished he could spare Nancy the pain he knew she would endure in coming years.
Commentary on Mr. Reagan and his presidency has been surprisingly positive. Naturally, there have been a few malcontents whove voiced their malice toward him. Considering the level of enmity he generated while in office, however, its been pleasantly subdued.
Much time has been devoted to his accomplishments. This is only fitting. He knew an Evil Empire when he saw one and arguably played the major role in its collapse.
President Reagans predecessor claimed we Americans suffered from a crisis of confidence. We were purportedly in the depths of a national malaise. It took time to work, but Dr. Reagan prescribed the medicine to treat that malady.
Here was a president who actually did more than just posture about the desirability of cutting taxes. Inflation, raging at 12 percent under Jimmy Carter, and soaring interest rates were finally brought under control. Millions of new jobs added to the economic boom.
Not a bad record for someone who was widely considered an "amiable dunce," an appellation assigned him by Clark Clifford. Mr. Clifford, advisor and confidant to Presidents Truman, Kennedy, Johnson and Carter, later displayed his own intellectual acumen by being indicted for fraud, conspiracy and taking bribes.
At any rate, he was not alone in indicating, both on and off the record, how dim-witted he thought Ronald Reagan was. Possibly those who made this observation did so because he so often seemed uninterested in details.
Rather, he preferred to look at the big picture and take a long-term view. He usually spoke to the American public about principles, not specifics.
Mr. Reagan knew who he was and in what he believed. He was comfortable with that. He felt no need to mollify people who held his views in contempt.
This isnt to say that he was unable to compromise. He did, frequently, and much to the consternation of his fellow conservatives.
With only a slim Republican majority in the Senate for part of his time in office, and a Democratic-controlled House for his full term, there was only so much the President could achieve. Unhappily, reversing the trend of burgeoning government wasnt a legacy of the Reagan Revolution.
So he compromised. He didnt capitulate. And he shrugged off the harsh disapproval of political opponents.
Peggy Noonans enjoyable book, "When Character Was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan," includes a pertinent anecdote from former Education Secretary Bill Bennett. Recently appointed by President Reagan to his post, he had recurrently been getting his brains kicked in by the press.
So he went to a Cabinet meeting and saw a folder marked BENNETT. It was the last item to be discussed.
"And the president I was pretty isolated at this point and the president started to read aloud just the headlines. BENNETT, A DUNCE IN THE CLASSROOM, BENNETT, THE JAMES WATT OF THE SECOND TERM, BENNETT MUST BE FIRED.
"And I was sinking farther and farther in my seat as the president read aloud. And my colleagues were drawing farther away. Reagan put the last clipping in and folded it up and he said, Now, thats Bill Bennetts first three weeks in office. Whats wrong with the rest of you?"
There is, or at least there used to be, a common belief that any American can grow up to be president. Ronald Reagan gave reason to believe that. He was born poor, the son of an alcoholic. His family had no connections. He came from a small town that most people had never even heard of.
Yet he managed to be elected president and to win re-election with 49 states. He became the most powerful man on earth. I think one of the reasons for this success was his irrepressible optimism.
There were several sources for the optimism: A belief in God, a trust in the innate benevolence of humanity, and a confidence that ultimately good will triumph over evil.
Even in his announcement about his illness, he finished with a tone of optimism:
"I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead."
The bright dawn is in no small part due to Ronald Reagan. May God bless his soul.
A great tribute to him. Thanks.
He was real and sincere.
Yes he was.
Think I'm missing something here.
There are others who will claim it, but Ronald Reagan was the one man truly was blessed with Talent on Loan from God. And he was able to cross the aisle many times with that talent to get his agenda moved forward.
I just know I've heard that phrase somewhere before.
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