Posted on 06/09/2004 8:04:56 PM PDT by Indy Pendance
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher pay her respects as
the casket of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan lies in state in the rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, June 9, 2004. The former president's body will lie in state for two days in the Capitol before his formal state funeral on June 11. REUTERS/Jason Reed
I think of you often Tommie. I'd love to get together with you guys. If you'd like, we can get some Freepers together and go out to eat in your area, so it won't be too much trouble for you.
Let me know if you're up for it.
D1
Agreed. Mrs. Reagan looking tired, Mrs. Thatcher with health problems, and Pope John Paul II also ailing. This is a rough time for me. Being a 34 year old conservative Catholic these three shaped my views on life and the world.
Æ
Pick up a few of their books or search for their writings. These are some amazing people. They will live on.
The respect between the two of them was clearly mutual: below is an excert from one of President Reagan's speeches given after both of them had left office. As usual, the Great Communicator finds, for me, the perfect words to sum up their relationship in his penultimate sentence:
On the Occasion of His 83rd Birthday
I can't tell you how thrilled Nancy and I are to be here with you tonight to celebrate the "forty-fourth anniversary of my thirty-ninth birthday." Haley told me he was going to gather a few friends for dinner tonight, but I had no idea!
Before I get started here, I want to thank my dear friend, Margaret Thatcher, for being part of yet another important milestone in my life and for those very kind words.
As most of you know, Margaret and I go back quite a ways. We met at a time before she became Prime Minister and I became President. From the moment we met, we discovered that we shared quite similar views of government and freedom. Margaret ended our first meeting by telling me, "we must stand together," and that's exactly wat we've done in the years since--as friends and as political allies. Margaret Thatcher is one of the giants of our century. Her many achievements will be appreciated more and more as time goes on and history is written. For me, she has been a staunch ally, my political soulmate, a great visionary and a dear, dear friend. Thank you, Margaret, for being with us here tonight.
Apprently Lady Thatcher has been invited by Nancy to fly with the President on his final journey back to California today. I believe she will be the only non-American in attendance at the burial at sunset.
It may not be widely known on this side of the Atlantic, but Lady Thatcher lost her own husband, Denis, last year. He played a very similar role for her that Nancy did for President Reagan - the discreet but absolutely solid support that allowed both of them to get on and achieve so much in the 80s. I'm sure it will be a comfort to Nancy to have someone present who's so recently experienced the loss that she herself is coping with at the moment.
Got to say I'm glad that Lady Thatcher will be there for her old comrade-in-arm's final journey, but I just wonder who we've got of sufficient stature at the moment to send to honor her when the time comes?
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