Posted on 01/21/2006 4:01:06 PM PST by rhema
10. "Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first." —Remarks at a business conference, Los Angeles, March 2, 1977
9. "You can tell a lot about a fellow's character by his way of eating jellybeans." —The Observer, March 29, 1981
8. “Thomas Jefferson once said, "We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works.' And ever since he told me that, I stopped worrying." —Circa 1988
7. "I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency, even if I'm in a cabinet meeting." —Said often during his presidency, 1981-1989
6. "How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin." —Remarks in Arlington, Virginia, September 25, 1987
5. "The government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." —Remarks to the White House Conference on Small Business, August 15, 1986
4. “I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself.” —Said often during his presidency, 1981-1989
3. "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." —Farewell Address to the Nation, The White House, January 11, 1989
2. "I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born." —The New York Times, September 22, 1980
1. "There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit." — First Inaugural Address, January 21, 1981
What a great man. We sure could use him now.
I heard it from Reagan first (someone else may have said it though):
"The world is divided East/West, not North/South."
I heard Jesse Jackson try to hijack this expression, blaming Islamic terrorism on poverty rather than ideology. I see this conflict as ideological as well, although now we have a different meaning of "East," if not "West."
Also in Paul Boller's "Presidential Anecdotes" -- when he was governor, someone sent him a newspaper clipping blaming him for the increase in (unwed?) pregnancies. His response -- "thank you for the clipping. It made
me feel more virile."
And Ronald Reagan would be greatly humbled by your praise. Indeed, he is certainly the greatest President since Teddy Roosevelt, and he may very well be the greatest president of all times.
My oldest son and I went up from South L.A. County at midnight to try and pay our respects. We waited single file in the line at the right side of the freeway for three hours and made it to the exit. Another hour and we made it up the exit ramp.
We knew that it would be at least another hour until the parking lot, and then the buses would take us up to the Library and who knows how much longer. We had to give up, because my husband had to leave for work and I had two little ones asleep at home. So we had to turn around.
What I will never forget as long as I live was the line of cars we passed as we drove along the opposite side of the freeway after 3 AM. Mile after mile of a single line of cars, waiting through the entire night in order to file for a quick minute past their hero's coffin to pay their respects.
They were not waiting for a free X-Box. There were no refreshments. No media exhorted them to do this. They all had missed a night's sleep and possibly were missing part of their morning at this point as well. Yet as we drove at normal speed, the line remained there. For MILES. It was an absolutely amazing sight. Nothing can stop the American people. We know what we believe in. The world is still OK.
Tell that to the OBL-ers in the Chamber of Commerce, the House and Senate, and the inhabitants of La Hacienda Blanco...I think they forgot it...or they are willfully ignoring it!
He taught us the power of words. We should never underestimate the power of the Bully Pulpit as Reagan used it masterfully and it was his greatest weapon. Reagan's Bully Pulpit brought down the "Evil Empire" without ever firing a shot. He also had a great deal of fun skewering his political opponents to boot.
Unfortunately Reagan was one of a kind and I doubt that anyone of us will ever live long enough to see anyone use words with that much power again, although Dubya's "you're either with us or against us" speech was close.
Thank you for sharing that.
Here's another good one:
"Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have."
I hate to say it, but President Bush is not only able but willing to verbally skewer his opponents. Laura Bush thinks it's in bad taste.
I am generally of the opinion that husbands should listen to their wives (at least that is what my wife tells me {smirk}), but I really wish that he would ignore Laura in this case.
The one that President Reagan told to Gorby in Iceland (kinda goes like this):
A Russian saved up enough money to buy a new car, so he goes into the Zil dealership and buys one. The dealer says, "Thank you for your business. You can pick up your new Zil on this day ten years from now." As the man is leaving the dealership he turns around and says, "Morning or afternoon?" The dealer replies, "Morning, afternoon; what does it matter?" The man says, "The plumber is coming in the morning."
And so fast on his feet. Once when he was Governor, a hippie student yelled at him, "We are the Future!" Reagan shot back, "I'll sell my bonds."
There is one quote about people and the media looking at his good side rather than his bad side, or something similar. Remember the president was shot on his right side of the shoulder?
Great man. I miss him.
>Bush is a good man, but not in the same league.
Not even close.
bump
"It's silly talking about how many years we will have to spend in the jungles of Vietnam when we could pave the whole country and put parking stripes on it and still be home by Christmas."
Reagan PING.
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