I don't claim enough knowledge to know if his politics were necessarily good for the country, but I believe his general spirit was. I don't remember Carter, so Reagan is the first president I remember being in office (as I became aware of such things in kindergarten).
Since becoming an adult, I hadn't thought much of him. He was only a relic. But I've enjoyed seeing clips and reading about him this weekend. I am reminded of why he was the Great Communicator, and why he was so popular, even among his enemies. And I can see how his entertainment background set him up so well for politics. Whether he was truly a nice guy or not, I can't say. It really doesn't matter; in his relationship with his country, with us, he was a nice guy.
Farewell, Gipper.
"I want to say that I don't mind at all any of the jokes or remarks about my age. Thomas Jefferson made a comment about the Presidency and age. He said that one should not worry about one's exact chronological age in reference to his ability to perform one's task. And ever since he told me that, I stopped worrying."
Posted by aokie at June 7, 2004 12:07 PM