June 06, 2004

Testimonials to Ronald Reagan

President Reagan led us with hope and belief in ourselves, encouraging this whole nation. Not since Kennedy had a President done that.

Here are a few testimonials to Ronald Reagan, from around the blogosphere.

From Silent Running:

Thanks in large measure to Reagan’s steadfast support of the idea that human beings everywhere are entitled to freedom, the Free World has been expanded tremendously.

Alan Henderson has Reagan’s stirring speach regarding D-Day.

From The Spoons Experience:

The man lead an amazing life, and was one of the most important figures in the history of our country. By his role in defeating the Soviet Union, he may very well have saved millions of lives.

From ScrappleFace::

He is survived by his wife, Nancy, three children and several hundred million men, women and children in the former Soviet Union, and around the world, who were set free from the hopeless terror of communist tyranny through his steadfast courage and unwavering faith.

...President Reagan also leaves behind an America that is no longer afraid to call evil what it is, and to do something about it.

VodkaPundit quotes Michael Novak:

Some years [after the revolutions of 1989], in fact, U.S. arms negotiators, reminiscing over the bad old days with their now-no-longer Soviet counterparts at a happy dinner, were interrupted by a fist slamming down upon the table. “You know what caused the downfall of the Soviet Union? You know what did it?” demanded a senior general, a little flush with vodka.

Some racked their brains with thoughts of missile defense, perpetual shortages of everything from soap to vodka, the U.S. military buildup. The general banged his fist again. “That damn speech about the evil empire! That’s what did it!” The general was standing now, and to the questioning eyes of one American he added: “It was an evil empire. It was.”

And PoliBlogger quotes George Will:

One measure of a leader’s greatness is this: By the time he dies the dangers that summoned him to greatness have been so thoroughly defeated, in no small measure by what he did, it is difficult to recall the magnitude of those dangers or of his achievements. So if you seek Ronald Reagan’s monument, look around and consider what you do not see.

The Iron Curtain that scarred a continent is gone, as is the Evil Empire responsible for it. The feeling of foreboding—the sense of shrunken possibilities—that afflicted Americans 20 years ago has been banished by a new birth of the American belief in perpetually expanding horizons.