|
Ronald Wilson Reagan, the greatest president of my lifetime, passed away this weekend at the age of 93. Understandably, a flood of excellent tribues are springing up around the internet. In typical form, John Hawkins of Right Wing News has trumped pretty much everybody with a collection of excellent Reagan quotes. However, since my personal favorite isn't listed anywhere, here it is.
(Regarding Daniel Ortega): "The little dictator who went to Moscow in his green fatigues to receive a bear hug did not forsake the doctrine of Lenin when he returned to the West and appeared in a two-piece suit." Ha! Pretty damn good, isn't it?
Ronald Reagan was known as "The Great Communicator," and with good reason. He was able to get out his vision for America in a warm, humorous way. He didn't pepper his speeches with flowery words, he didn't bite his lip, and he didn't fumble and bumble. His goals were clear: improve America's economy, defeat communism, and renew the American spirit. I'm sure it's difficult for the younger Cooper for President readers to understand this, but when Reagan came into office, the country was in a collective "funk" (much like we are now). After Vietnam, Watergate, and Jimmy Carter, Americans did not feel good about this country. Reagan changed that.
President Reagan didn't pull any punches. He hated communism and he said so. He once told a joke about a man walking down the street in Moscow. The man saw a Soviet soldier and started running. At that point, the soldier shot the man dead. When someone came up and asked the soldier why he shot the man, he said "curfew." The person told the soldier that it wasn't past curfew yet, and the soldier replied "Yeah, but I knew this guy. He was a friend of mine. I know where he lives, and he never would have made it home in time." Reagan didn't suck up to our enemies, he made fun of them.
Reagan was often accused of being cruel and callous, but that was clearly not the case. He remained "one of the people" throughout his term. He was a kind and compassionate leader, and I can say without fear of contradiction that there will never be another president (at least not in my lifetime) as great as he was. He helped the Soviet Union implode, he improved America's economy, and he made us feel good about this country again. There's nothing wrong with being (and acting like) a superpower. We ARE a superpower, so get over it.
So this week, as you see tributes to President Reagan which include references to his naps, his joke about bombing the Soviet Union, his penchant for eating jelly beans, his alleged role in Iran-Contra, or his use of the (appropriate) term "welfare queen," please also bear in mind that Reagan was a truly great leader. And, although I look back on his legacy with some sadness (more "longing for the good old days" than anything else), I am not sad at his passing. His time was up, and he is no longer suffering. God Bless You, President Reagan.
|
