more images of Ronald Reagan

The death of former President Ronald Reagan marks the passing of one of America's finest. As President, he took on the Soviet Union and won, he slashed taxes and brought back economic prosperity, and he rebuilt America's military as well as the Republican party, both suffering so badly from the after-effects of both Vietnam and Watergate. More than that, he gave us back our pride in being Americans. Ronald Reagan gave us back our optomism, our sense that as great as America is, it will be greater still.

The late 1970's were marred by a feeling of malaise and loss of control; that America had passed her peak and was spiraling downward to her end. Vietnam had damaged our national pride and our sense of purpose, and the Watergate scandal and resignation of the President introduced a profund distrust in both our country and our leaders. We were full of doubt about ourselves and our future. Nuclear war seemed inevitable. The recession with its high inflation and the energy crisis with its long lines at the gas stations caused the economy to stutter and stumble from bad to worse. The future loomed over the country like a dark cloud. Reagan reversed all of that. His upbeat, confident vision inspired all Americans. His detractors at the time faulted him for his sunny outlook and talk of a bright future. The American people ignored the nay-sayers and elected him over sitting President Jimmy Carter, 489 electoral votes to Carter's 49. When Reagan ran for re-election in 1984, he won 49 states and 525 electoral votes in the biggest landslide in American history. We believed in him, and he delivered.

His policies, however, were not what endeared him to the American people. It was his personal warmth and sense of humor, which he kept even in the worst circumstances. When he was shot by would-be assassin John Hinckley Jr. in 1981 and was rushed to the hospital, he looked around at the surgeons and joked, "I hope you're all Republicans." When he awoke to find his wife Nancy at his side, he told her, "Sorry, honey, I forgot to duck." When testing a microphone for a sound check in 1984, he quipped, "My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever. The bombing begins in five minutes." Of course, it turned out that the microphone was live after all.

There's no way to pick out a particular favorite quote of his; there were so many. He was, after all, known as the Great Communicator. One of the most touching Reagan quotes, however, was from his speech after the Challenger shuttle disaster in 1986. "We will never forget them nor the last time that we saw them -- this morning, as they prepared for the journey, and waved good-bye, and slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God."

Ronald Reagan has himself slipped the surly bonds of Earth, and he will be sorely missed.

Ronald Reagan Quotes from RightWingNews
Ronald Reagan Quotes part 2 from RightWingNews
Ronald Reagan's Farewell Speech to the Nation
The Reagan Legacy