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Worst president EVER.
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" align="right" style="margin-left:1em"
|+ <font size="+1">'''Ronald Reagan'''</font>
|-
| style="background:#efefef;" align="center" colspan="2" | [[Image:reagan.jpg|Ronald W. Reagan]]<br><small>[[Media:Rreagan.gif|White House Portrait]]</small>
|-
! align="left" | Order:
| 40th President
|-
! align="left" | Term of Office:
| [[January 20]], [[1981]]&ndash;[[January 20]], [[1989]]
|-
! align="left" | Predecessor:
| [[Jimmy Carter]]
|-
! align="left" | Successor:
| [[George H. W. Bush]]
|-
! align="left" | Date of Birth:
| [[Monday]], [[February 6]], [[1911]]
|-
! align="left" | Place of Birth:
| [[Tampico, Illinois]]
|-
! align="left" | Date of Death:
| [[Saturday]], [[June 5]], [[2004]]
|-
! align="left" | Place of Death:
| [[Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California|Bel Air]], [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], [[California]]
|-
! align="left" | [[First Lady of the United States|First Lady]]:
| [[Nancy Reagan]]
|-
! align="left" | Profession:
| [[Actor]] and [[labor union]] leader
|-
! align="left" | [[List of political parties in the United States|Political Party]]:
| [[United States Republican Party|Republican]]
|-
! align="left" | [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]]:
| [[George H. W. Bush]]
|}
'''Ronald Wilson Reagan''' ([[February 6]], [[1911]]&ndash;[[June 5]], [[2004]]) was the 40th ([[1981]]&ndash;[[1989]]) [[President of the United States|President]] of the [[United States]] and the 33rd ([[1967]]&ndash;[[1975]]) [[Governor of California|Governor]] of [[California]]. Reagan was also an [[actor]] in [[film]]s before entering politics.

==Early life and career==

Reagan was born in [[Tampico, Illinois|Tampico]], [[Illinois]], the second of two sons to John (Jack) Reagan and Nellie Wilson. His great-grandfather had immigrated to the United States from [[Ballyporeen]], [[County Tipperary|Co. Tipperary]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] in the [[1860s]]. Prior to his grandfather's emigration, the family name had been spelled "Regan." On a visit to Ballyporeen in [[1984]], he was presented with a family tree that showed he was distantly related to both [[John F. Kennedy]] and [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II]].[http://www.delphosherald.com/page2.php?story=3500&archive=] Such a ceremonial genealogy would necessarily contain much guesswork, as his ancestry beyond four generations is not known with certainty.

In [[1920]], after years of moving from town to town, the family settled in the Illinois town of [[Dixon, Illinois|Dixon]]. In [[1921]], at the age of 10, Reagan was [[baptism|baptized]] in his mother's [[Disciples of Christ]] church in Dixon, and in [[1924]] he began attending Dixon's Northside High School.

[[Image:Reagan family.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Ronald and his older brother Neil, with parents Jack and Nelle Reagan. (c. 1916-17)]]

In [[1926]], at age 15, Reagan took a summer job as a [[lifeguard]] in Lowell Park, two miles away from Dixon on the nearby [[Rock River (Illinois)|Rock River]]. He continued to work as a lifeguard on the Rock for the next seven years, reportedly saving 77 people from drowning. Reagan would later joke that none of them ever thanked him.

In [[1928]], Reagan entered [[Eureka College]] in [[Eureka, Illinois]] majoring in [[economics]] and [[sociology]], graduating in [[1932]]. He earned excellent grades and made many lasting friendships. The child of an [[alcoholism|alcoholic]] father, Reagan developed an early gift for [[storytelling]] and [[acting]]. He was a [[radio]] [[announcer]] of [[Chicago Cubs]] [[baseball]] games, getting only the bare outlines of the game from a ticker and relying on his imagination and storytelling gifts to flesh out the game. Once in [[1934]], during the ninth inning of a Cubs-[[St. Louis Cardinals]] game, the wire went dead. Reagan smoothly improvised a fictional play-by-play (in which hitters on both teams gained an ability to foul off pitches) until the wire was restored.

===Hollywood===

Reagan had a successful career in [[Hollywood]] as a second-rank leading man, aided by his clear voice and athletic physique. His first screen credit was the starring role the [[1937 in film|1937]] movie ''[[Love is On the Air]]''. An agent signed him to his first contract after saying "I have another [[Robert Taylor]] sitting in my office". By the end of [[1939]], he had appeared in 19 films. In [[1940]] he played the role of [[George Gipp|George "The Gipper" Gipp]] in the film ''[[Knute Rockne, All American]]'', from which he acquired the nickname '''the Gipper''', which he retained the rest of his life. Reagan himself considered that his best acting work was in ''[[Kings Row]]'' ([[1942]]). He played the part of a young man whose legs are amputated. He used a line he spoke in this film "Where's the rest of me?" as the title for his autobiography. Other notable Reagan films include ''[[Hellcats of the Navy]]'', ''[[This Is the Army]]'', and ''[[Bedtime for Bonzo]]''. Reagan was kidded widely about the last named film because his co-star was a chimp. He has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 6374 Hollywood Blvd.

[[Image:Nancy_and_Ronald_Reagan.jpg|thumb|Nancy and Ronald Reagan married in 1952. Nancy became a powerful background figure in Reagan's rise and roles as governor and president.]]

Reagan was commissioned as a reserve [[cavalry]] officer in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] in [[1935]]. After the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] he was activated and assigned, partially due to his poor eyesight, to the [[First Motion Picture Unit]] in the [[United States Army Air Force]], which made training and education films. He remained in Hollywood for the duration of the war. He attained the rank of [[captain]]. Reagan tried repeatedly to go overseas for combat duty but was turned down because of his [[astigmatism]]. He always remained very proud of his military background.

Reagan married actress [[Jane Wyman]] in [[1940]]. They had a daughter, [[Maureen Reagan|Maureen]] in [[1941]], adopted a son [[Michael Reagan|Michael]] in 1946, and had a daughter born four months prematurely in [[1947]] who lived but one day. They divorced in [[1948]] (Reagan was the first President to have been divorced). Reagan remarried in [[1952]] to actress [[Nancy Reagan|Nancy Davis]] at a time when she may have already become pregnant. (Their marriage was on [[March 4]]; daughter [[Patti Davis|Patti]] was born on [[October 21]] of the same year.) In [[1958]] they had a second child, [[Ron Reagan|Ron]]. Reagan was a loving devoted husband according to all accounts. One of the most touching speeches he ever made as President was a tribute to his wife. He spoke of [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] and how [[Eleanor Roosevelt|Eleanor]] had been his "legs" during his term. He said "I want you to know that Nancy Reagan is my everything...thank you partner thank you for everything...by the way are you doing anything tonight?"

As Reagan's film roles became fewer in the late [[1950s]], he moved into [[television]] as a host and frequent performer for ''[[General Electric Theater]]''. Reagan appeared in many live television plays and often co-starred with Nancy. Reagan &ndash; then not just the talent agency's client but boss Lew Wasserman's first ''million''-dollar client &ndash; became head of the [[Screen Actors Guild]] (SAG). Back in [[1952]], a Hollywood scandal concerned his granting of a SAG blanket waiver to MCA, which allowed it to both represent and employ talent for its burgeoning [[TV syndication|TV franchises]]. He went from host and program supervisor of ''General Electric Theater'' to actually producing and claiming an equity stake in the TV show itself. At one point in the late 1950s, Reagan was earning approximately $125,000 per year&mdash;equivalent to at least $600,000 in 2004 dollars. Before that, Ronald Reagan had been working [[Las Vegas, Nevada]] as a song-and-dance act's master of ceremonies. [[Dennis McDougal]], author of the unauthorized Wasserman biography ''[[The Last Mogul: Lew Wasserman, MCA, and the Hidden History of Hollywood]]'' commented that "He and his board engineered it, thus giving MCA ''carte blanche'' control over US television for the next six years." McDougal goes on to say that Reagan didn't recall his role in the waiver when he was before US [[Attorney General]] [[Robert F. Kennedy]]'s grand jury in [[1962]]. It was in [[1945]] that Wasserman brokered Ronald Reagan's unprecedented seven-year, $1 million deal with [[Warner Brothers]]. His final regular acting job was as host and performer on ''[[Death Valley Days]]''. Reagan's final big-screen appearance came in the [[1964]] film ''[[The Killers (1964 film)|The Killers]]'', in which, uncharacteristically, he played a mob chieftan. This film was a remake of an earlier [[The Killers (1946 film)|1946 version]] from a short story by Ernest Hemingway. Reagan's co-stars were [[John Casavettes]] and [[Lee Marvin]]. At one point, he belts [[Angie Dickinson]] across a room. Angie Dickinson and Reagan were good friends in real life and she said he would always apologize for this!

==Early political career==

Ronald Reagan began his political life as a [[United States Democratic Party|Democrat]], supporting [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] and his [[New Deal]]. He gradually became a staunch social and fiscal [[conservative]]. He embarked upon the path that led him to a career in politics during his tenure as president of the [[Screen Actors Guild]] (SAG) from [[1947]] until [[1952]], and then again from [[1959]] to [[1960]]. In this position he testified before the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]] on [[Communism|Communist]] influence in [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]]. He also kept tabs on actors he considered "disloyal" and informed on them to the [[FBI]] under the code name "Agent T-10," but he would not implicate them publicly to HUAC. He supported the practice of [[Blacklist|blacklisting]] in Hollywood, defending it in a letter to [[Hugh Hefner]] because he claimed he would help anyone wrongly accused "avail himself of machinery to solve this problem." In that letter he claimed that the list of suspected leftists in Hollywood was not a "blacklist" but rather a list created by disgruntled moviegoers.

His employment by the [[General Electric]] company further enhanced his political image. By the [[U.S. presidential election, 1964|1964 election]], Reagan was an outspoken supporter of conservative Republican [[Barry Goldwater]]. His nationally televised speech "[[A Time for Choosing]]" electrified conservatives and led to his being asked to run for Governor of California. To this day, this speech is considered one of the most stirring ever made on behalf of a candidate.

==Governorship==
In [[1966]], he was elected the 33rd [[Governor of California| Governor of California]], defeating two-term incumbent [[Pat Brown]]; he was re-elected in [[1970]], defeating [[Jesse Unruh]], but chose not to seek a third term. He had vowed to send "the welfare bums back to work," and "to clean up the mess at [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]]." For the latter, he had UC President [[Clark Kerr]] fired and forced the [[University of California]] to charge tuition for the first time by cutting its budget. During the [[People's Park]] protests, he sent 2,200 National Guard troops into Berkeley. Reagan made it clear that the policies of his administration would not be influenced by the student agitators nor their actions tolerated, even "if it takes a bloodbath". When the kidnappers of [[Patty Hearst]] demanded the distribution of food to the poor, Reagan suggested it would be a good time for an outbreak of [[botulism]].

During his first term, he froze government hiring, but also approved tax hikes to balance the budget. One of Reagan's greatest frustrations in office concerned the death penalty. He had gone on record as a strong supporter. In [[1967]], [[Aaron Mitchell]], a young African-American man, was executed in California's gas chamber for the murder of a police officer. Reagan had refused to stop the execution. However, his efforts to enforce the state's death penalty codes were thwarted when the [[Supreme Court]] abolished the death penalty in [[1972]].

During his governorship, Reagan actively dismantled the public [[psychiatric hospital]] system, proposing that a community-based housing and treatment system replace it. According to some Reagan critics, the first objective was effectively accomplished, but the community replacement facilities were never adequately funded, either by Reagan or by his successors, contributing nationwide to current problems with [[homelessness|homeless]] people, and an overfilling of jails and penitentiaries by people who would be better served with the earlier hospital system. Many of these ill people still are on the street. Also, a statewide teachers strike started in [[Los Angeles]] due to Reagan's cost cutting and poor budgeting at the same time.

==Presidential nomination==
Reagan tried to gain the Republican presidential nomination in [[1968]], and again in [[1976]] over the incumbent [[Gerald Ford]], but was defeated at the Republican Convention. He succeeded in gaining the Republican nomination in [[1980]]. The campaign, led by [[William J. Casey]], was greatly affected by the [[Iran hostage crisis]]; most analysts believe President [[Jimmy Carter]]'s inability to solve the hostage crisis played a large role to Reagan's victory against him in the [[U.S. presidential election, 1980|1980 election]]. Reagan's showing in the Presidential debates boosted his campaign. He seemed more at ease, almost making fun of the President with remarks like "There you go again", though these did not need to be factual rebuttals to be effective. Perhaps his most influential remark was a closing question to the audience, during a time of skyrocketing global oil prices and highly unpopular [[Federal Reserve]] interest rate hikes, "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" Reagan's victory was accompanied by an [[Reagan's coattails|11-seat change]] in the Senate from Democratic to Republican hands, giving the Republicans a majority in the Senate for the first time in decades. Upon his election, Reagan became the oldest president to enter office, at almost 70 years of age. (69 years, 349 days) When Reagan entered office, there had been four failed presidencies.

In the [[U.S. presidential election, 1984|1984 presidential election]], he was re-elected in a landslide over Carter's Vice President [[Walter Mondale]], winning 49 of 50 states and receiving nearly 60 percent of the popular vote. Despite a weak performance in the first debate, Reagan recovered in the second debate and was considerably ahead of Mondale in polls taken throughout much of the race. The day before the election, Mondale made a speech that is believed to have put the last nail in his political coffin. In it he remarked "Reagan will raise taxes, I will raise taxes. Reagan won't tell you this, I just did." Much of Reagan's first election and this second term landslide is attributed to the then-named "[[Reagan Democrat]]s", a newly emerged but mostly unorganized political force.

==Presidency==
:''Main article: [[Reagan Administration]]''

===Domestic record===
[[Image:Reagan_assassination.jpg|200px|thumb|Chaos outside the Washington Hilton Hotel after the assassination attempt on President Reagan.]]
Ronald Reagan portrayed himself as being [[conservative]], [[anti-communism|anti-communist]] and expanding the military to those ends, in favor of [[tax]] cuts and smaller government. Reagan also liked to think of himself and was thought of by many others, as being supportive of [[business]] interests and tough on [[crime]].

Reagan's first official act upon taking the presidency was to remove the [[Solar thermal energy|solar water heating panels]] [http://www.northernskynews.com/backissue%20pages/UnitySolar.html] on the roof of the [[White House]] which had been placed there in the [[Carter]] administration; thus marking a sharp change from the previous administration's perceived greater environmental awareness. Perhaps the high point of the Reagan presidency's first 100 days was the freeing of American hostages in [[Tehran]] at the conclusion of the [[Iran Hostage Crisis]], within minutes of his inauguration. While leaving the [[Hilton Hotel]] in [[Washington, DC]] on [[March 30]], [[1981]], Reagan, his Press Secretary [[James Brady]], [[Secret Service]] agent [[Tim McCarthy]], and [[District of Columbia]] police officer Thomas Delanty were shot by [[John Hinckley, Jr.]]. Many superstitions apply this to the "zero factor" (See [[William Henry Harrison]]). However Reagan became the first President to be shot in an assassination attempt while in office and survive. It is also believed that Reagan broke the chain by living to see the end of two terms. Reagan turned what could have been a low point in his first 100 days into another high point by remarking to his surgeons, "I hope you're all Republicans," Reagan also said that he forgave Hinckley and hoped he asked God's forgiveness as well. [http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/weekly/aa120197b.htm] and to his wife Nancy, "Honey, I forgot to duck."

[[Image:Bush reagan.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Vice President Bush, right, meets with President Reagan, left, in 1984.]]

A large focus of Reagan's first term was on reviving a [[stagflation]]-troubled economy his administration inherited. His administration sought to fight the high [[inflation]] recession with large across-the-board [[tax cut]]s controversially combined with reductions in social [[welfare]] spending. Reagan's fiscal theories soon became known as "[[Reaganomics]]." The end result was that public spending as a percentage of the national income, steadily growing in the pre-Reagan era, now folded to a steady level it has fluctuated around ever since [http://libertyunbound.com/archive/2004_10/friedman-reagan.pdf]. Also, in order to get increases in military spending to fight the [[Cold War]], the administration had to allow increases in spending on social programs, resulting in record [[deficit spending]] and a tripling of the [[national debt]] by the end of his second term. Proponents often note that Reagan used his veto on public spending projects 78 times in all.

The "[[war on drugs]]" was also declared during his presidency as well as the signing of the [[Civil Liberties Act of 1988]] which compensated victims of the [[Japanese American Internment]] during [[World War II]]. Reagan also fired [[air traffic controller]]s when they went on [[strike action|strike]]. He was also criticized by the [[gay rights movement]] for not responding quickly enough to the [[HIV]]-[[AIDS]] epidemic but did eventually appoint the [[President’s Commission on the HIV Epidemic|Watkins Commission]] to study the issue. It recommended an unprecedented increase in funding for research, which the administration wouldn't accommodate. However, Reagan did increase their funding substantially through his years in office.

===Foreign policy and interventions===
Reagan forcefully confronted the [[Soviet Union]], marking a sharp departure from the [[détente]] observed by his predecessors [[Richard Nixon]], [[Gerald Ford]], and [[Jimmy Carter]]. Sensing that planned economies could not compete against market economies in a renewed [[arms race]], he made the [[Cold War]] economically and rhetorically hot. The administration oversaw a massive military buildup that represented a policy of "Peace Through Strength." Many Reagan supporters credit Reagan administration military polices with winning the Cold War. Others argued, however, that the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union was due more to internal separatist problems and the depressed global price of [[crude oil]], on which the Soviet economy during those years depended heavily.

[[Image:Reagan_thatcher.jpg|thumb|left|200px|President Reagan and [[Margaret Thatcher]] in [[Camp David]].]]
Among European leaders, his main ally and undoubtedly his closest friend was the [[Conservative_Party_(UK)|Conservative]] [[Prime_Minister_of_the_United_Kingdom|British Prime Minister]] [[Margaret Thatcher]], who always supported Reagan's policies of [[deterrence]] against the Soviets.

[[Image:Reagan_and_Gorbachev_hold_discussions.jpg|thumb|300px|Reagan, left, in one-on-one discussions with [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the USSR from 1985 to 1991.]]
Although the administration negotiated arms reduction treaties such as the [[Intermediate-Range_Nuclear_Forces_Treaty|INF Treaty]] and START Treaty with the USSR it also aimed to increase strategic defense. A controversial proposal, named the [[Strategic Defense Initiative]] (SDI), sought to deploy a [[outer space|space]]-based defense system Reagan hoped would make the U.S. invulnerable to [[nuclear weapon]] missile attack. Critics dubbed the proposal "Star Wars" and argued that SDI was unrealistic and would likely inflame the [[Arms Race]]. Supporters responded that even the threat of SDI forced the Soviets into unsustainable spending to keep up.

Support for anti-communist groups including armed insurgencies against what Reagan considered to be [[communism|communist]] governments was also a part of administration policy as the [[Reagan Doctrine]]. Following this policy, the administration funded "[[freedom fighter]]s" such as the [[mujahideen]] in [[Afghanistan]] (calling them "an inspiration to those who love freedom"), the [[Contras]] in [[Nicaragua]] (whom he considered the "moral equivalent of our founding fathers", despite their killing of thousands of [[civilian]]s), and [[Jonas Savimbi]]'s rebel forces in [[Angola]]. The administration also helped fund central [[Europe]]an anti-communist groups such as the [[Poland|Polish]] [[Solidarity]] movement and took a hard line against the Communist regime in [[Cambodia]]. Covert funding of the Contras in Nicaragua would lead to the [[Iran Contra Affair]] while overt support led to a [[International Court of Justice|World Court]] ruling against the United States in ''[[Nicaragua v. United States]]''.

At the same time the administration considered paramilitary groups resisting Israeli [[occupation]]s, such as [[Hezbollah]] guerrillas in [[Lebanon]], [[Palestinian]] guerrillas in the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza Strip]], and left-wing [[guerrilla]]s fighting US-backed right-wing [[military dictatorship]]s in [[Honduras]] and [[El Salvador]] to be [[terrorist]]s. The Reagan administration also considered guerrillas of the [[African National Congress|ANC]]'s armed wing [[Umkhonto we Sizwe]] (MK or Spear of the Nation) and other anti-apartheid militants (e.g. the [[Pan Africanist Congress|PAC]]) fighting the [[apartheid]] government in [[South Africa]] to be terrorists. These same groups were and still are in many places, considered to be freedom fighters just as Reagan's freedom fighters were often considered terrorists (especially the [[Contra]]s).

U.S. involvement in [[Lebanon]] followed a limited term [[United Nations]] mandate for a Multinational Force. A force of 800 U.S. Marines was sent to [[Beirut]] to evacuate [[PLO]] forces. The [[September 16]], [[1982]] massacre of hundreds of [[Palestinian]] civilians in Beirut (see [[Sabra and Shatila Massacre]]) prompted Reagan to form a new multinational force. Intense administration diplomatic efforts resulted in a peace agreement between Lebanon and [[Israel]]. U.S. forces were withdrawn shortly after the [[October 23]], [[1983]] bombing of a barracks in which 241 Marines were killed. Reagan called this day the saddest day of his life and of his presidency.

A communist [[coup]] on the small island nation of [[Grenada]] in 1983 led the administration to develop an invasion plan to restore the former government. The resulting [[Operation Urgent Fury]] was successful.

Initially neutral, the administration increasingly became involved in the [[Iran-Iraq War]]. At various times the administration supported both nations but mainly sided with [[Iraq]], believing that Iraqi President [[Saddam Hussein]] was less dangerous than [[Iran]]ian leader [[Ayatollah Khomeini]]. The American fear was that an Iranian victory would embolden Islamic fundamentalists in other Arab states, perhaps leading to the overthrow of secular governments in [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Jordan]] and [[Kuwait]]. After initial Iraqi military victories were reversed and an Iranian victory appeared possible in [[1982]], the American government initiated [[Operation Staunch]] to attempt to cut off the Iranian regime's access to weapons (notwithstanding their later shipment of weapons to Iran in the [[Iran-Contra Affair]]). The United States also provided intelligence information and weapons to the Iraqi military, although most Iraqi weaponry was supplied by [[Germany]], [[Britain]] and the [[USSR]]. The Administration also did not act to prevent the supply of some biological and "dual use" materials to Iraq by American companies, which Iraq claimed were required for medical research.

Concurrent with the support of Iraq, the Administration also engaged in covert arms sales to Iran in order to fund Contra rebels in Nicaragua. The resulting [[Iran-Contra Affair]] became a scandal. Reagan professed ignorance of the plot's existence and quickly called for an [[Office of the Independent Counsel|Independent Counsel]] to investigate the scandal. The President was eventually found to be culpable of lax control over his own staff. A significant number of officials in the Reagan Administration were either convicted or forced to resign as a result of the scandal.

==="The Great Communicator"===
[[Image:ReaganBerlinWall.JPG|framed| Speaking in front of the [[Berlin Wall]] on [[June 12]], [[1987]] Ronald Reagan challenged reformist Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall."]]
Reagan was dubbed "The Great Communicator" for his ability to express ideas and emotions in an almost personal manner, even when making a formal address. He honed these skills as an actor, live television and radio host, and politician, and as president hired skilled speechwriters who could capture his folksy charm.

Reagan's style varied. Especially in his first term, he used strong, even bombastic language to condemn the Soviet Union and communism. But he could also evoke lofty ideals and a vision of the United States as a defender of liberty. His [[October 27]], [[1964]] speech entitled "A Time for Choosing" ([http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/resource/speeches/1983/32183e.htm]) introduced the phrase "rendezvous with destiny" to popular culture. Other speeches recalled America as the "shining city on a hill", "big-hearted, idealistic, daring, decent, and fair" ([http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/speeches/second.asp]), whose citizens had the "right to dream heroic dreams" ([http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/speeches/first.asp]). After the [[1986]] [[Space Shuttle Challenger|Challenger accident]], he quoted John Gillespie Magee, Jr.'s poem, [[High Flight]], to console the nation: "We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved good-bye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.'" ([http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/speeches/challenger.asp])

It was perhaps Reagan's humor, especially his [[One-liner joke|one-liners]], that disarmed his opponents and endeared himself to audiences the most. Discussion of his advanced age led him to quip in his first debate against [[Walter Mondale]] during the [[1984]] campaign, "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience." On his career he joked "Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book."

Both opponents and supporters noted his "sunny optimism," which was welcomed by many in comparison to his often smiling, but somewhat dour and serious, immediate Presidential predecessor. His style of relating to others had often been described as avuncular &ndash; in the demeanor of an uncle, one not responsible for discipline but who can provide well-meaning guidance.

==="The Great Prevaricator"===

A frequent objection by his exasperated detractors, however, was that his personal charm also permitted him to say nearly anything, however wildly untrue, and yet prevail &mdash; a particularly devastating advantage in election debates and press conferences that earned him the nickname "the [[Teflon]] president" (i.e., to whom nothing sticks). For example, Reagan reversed his position on the [[1980 Summer Olympics|1980 Olympic boycott]] no fewer than five, distinct times, on the fifth reversal claiming he had never changed his position. His denial of awareness of the [[Iran-Contra]] illegalities was belied by quotations in now-archived notes by his defense secretary, [[Caspar Weinberger]], that he (Reagan) could survive violating the law or Constitution but not the negative public image that "big, strong Ronald Reagan passed up a chance to get the hostages free."

==Legacy and retirement from public life==
In [[1989]], after the inauguration of [[George H. W. Bush]] as president, Ronald Reagan returned to California, to write his autobiography, to riding his horses and chopping wood on his ranch, and to a new house in [[Bel-Air]]. In fall, Fujisankei Communications Group of [[Japan]] hired him to make two speeches and attend some ceremonies. Reagan's weekly fee was about two million dollars, more than he had earned during eight years as president.

[[Image:Pres37-41.jpg|thumb|200px|right|(Left to right:) Presidents Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, George H. W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, and Jimmy Carter at the dedication of the Reagan Presidential Library.]]

In [[1994]], Reagan was officially diagnosed with [[Alzheimer's disease]]. As the years went on, the disease slowly destroyed the his mental capacity, forcing him to live his post-presidency in quiet isolation. He informed the nation of his condition on [[November 5]], [[1994]] in the form of a personal letter. However, Reagan still displayed his trademark optimism. He said "I am now starting the journey that will take me into the sunset of my life, but I know for America there will always be a brighter day ahead... I only wish I could spare my dear Nancy the pain of this terrible ordeal but sadly I cannot... thank you for letting me serve as your President... good luck my friends may God always bless you". An [[anecdote]] told of this time is of his removing a ceramic model of the [[White House]] from a friend's aquarium; he reportedly said, "I know this is important, but I don't know why." His health was further destabilized by a fall in 2001, which shattered part of his hip and rendered him virtually immobile. By [[2004]] Reagan had begun to enter the final stage of Alzheimer's. It is frequently reported that Secret Service agents had to inform Reagan every morning that he was once the president.
[[Image:Pres38-42.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Five [[President_of_the_United_States#Former_Presidents|presidents]] and [[First Lady of the United States|first ladies]] attended the funeral of [[Richard Nixon]] on [[April 27]], [[1994]], in Nixon's hometown of [[Yorba Linda, California|Yorba Linda]], [[California]]. From left: [[Bill Clinton|Bill]] and [[Hillary Clinton]], [[George H. W. Bush|George H.W.]] and [[Barbara Bush]], [[Ronald Reagan|Ronald]] and [[Nancy Reagan]], [[Jimmy Carter|Jimmy]] and [[Rosalynn Carter]], [[Gerald Ford|Gerald]] and [[Betty Ford]].]]
On [[February 6]], [[1998]], Washington National Airport was renamed [[Ronald Reagan National Airport]] by a bill signed into law by President [[Bill Clinton]]. Three years later, on [[March 4]], [[2001]], the [[USS Ronald Reagan|''USS Ronald Reagan'' (CVN-76)]] was christened by the Navy. It was commissioned on [[July 12]], [[2003]], making it the newest Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carrier. It is one of few ships christened in honor of a living person and the first to be named in honor of a living former president.

[[Image:160808.valarge.jpg Ronald Reagan Funeral]]

==Death, Funeral, and Tributes Afterward==
Reagan died at his home in [[Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California|Bel-Air]], [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], [[California]] on [[June 5]], [[2004]] at 1:00 p.m. Pacific time, at the age of 93. He died of [[pneumonia]], surrounded by his wife [[Nancy Reagan|Nancy]] and their children [[Patti Davis|Patti]] and [[Ron Reagan|Ron]]. He is survived also by his son [[Michael Reagan|Michael]], from his first marriage to Wyman; his daughter [[Maureen Reagan|Maureen]] preceded him in death in 2001.

The news of Reagan's passing reached Washington just before 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. Because of the time difference, Europe learned the news at a late hour, meaning that the very first country there could be reaction from was Canada, since it was just before 5:00 p.m. in Ottawa when the news was received there, which meant that Canadian Prime Minister [[Paul Martin]], who, like President [[George W. Bush]], was in France for the 60th anniversary of [[D-Day]], was the first world leader to pay tribute to President Reagan. Three other Canadian leaders joined Martin in voicing tribute: former prime minister [[Brian Mulroney]], a very close friend of the Reagans, [[Leader of the Opposition (Canada)|Opposition Leader]] [[Stephen Harper]], who like Mulroney, is a [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservative]], and [[New Democratic Party|NDP]] Leader [[Jack Layton]]. Upon hearing of the death, a [[Cuba|Cuban]] newsreader broadcasting on Cuban state radio reported simply "he who should never have been born has died".
[[Image:160808.valarge.jpg|thumb|200px|right Ronald Reagan Funeral ]]
Reagan was given a full presidential [[state funeral]] on [[June 9]], the first since [[Lyndon Johnson]] in [[1973]], drawing many parallels. Vice President [[Dick Cheney]], who along with Senate President Pro Tempore [[Ted Stevens]] and House Speaker [[Dennis Hastert]], gave the eulogies, presided over the state funeral because President Bush was in [[Sea Island, Georgia]], hosting the [[G-8]] Summit. The final services in honor of Reagan on [[June 11]], like those in honor of Johnson on [[January 25]], 1973, spanned the country in one day. With 4,000 people in attendance, Reagan's national service at the [[National Cathedral]] included eulogies by former British Prime Minister [[Margaret Thatcher|Lady Thatcher]], Mulroney, former president [[George H. W. Bush]], who turned 80 the following day, and Bush. Numerous other past and present world leaders attended the service, including former Soviet President [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] and Britain's [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince of Wales]], both of whom, along with Mulroney, his wife, [[Mila Mulroney|Mila]], and Thatcher, led the dignitaries in paying tribute to Reagan. In all, 218 foreign dignitaries from 165 nations attended the service, making it one of the largest gatherings of foreign dignitaries at a funeral for an American president. Many of the present world leaders who attended the service had been in the U.S. for the G-8 Summit. Among them were Afghan President [[Hamid Karzai]], whose visit to the U.S. ended when he addressed Congress a few days later, British Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]], German Chancellor [[Gerhard Schröder]], Italian Prime Minister [[Silvio Berlusconi]], Iraqi Acting President [[Ghazi al-Yawar]], and Jordan's [[King Abdullah II]].

Reagan was buried that evening at sunset in a private ceremony with 600 people, with Thatcher being one of them, in attendance at the [[Ronald Reagan Presidential Library]] in [[Simi Valley, California]], which included remarks from his three surviving children, ending a week of scenes, many of which had not been seen since January 25, 1973, when LBJ was buried at his ranch in his beloved hill country of Texas.

The Reagan funeral saw more eulogies than any other president funeral--10, breaking the record of 6 given during the LBJ funeral. The day after the funeral, President Bush's entire weekly radio address was his second tribute to Reagan in as many days, because the funeral happened on a Friday. Later in 2004, Reagan's eldest son, Michael, paid tribute to his father at the [[2004 Republican National Convention|Republican National Convention]], speaking at the convention and introducing a video, dedicating it to everyone who helped make his father president of the United States. Scenes from the state funeral were played in the video. When the delegates saw the scenes, Michael told them that his family wanted to thank all Americans for all that they did for him and his family during the services.

Reagan holds the record for the longest-living president at 93 years and 119 days. [[John Adams]] lived a record 90 years and 247 days before Reagan surpassed it on [[October 11]], [[2001]].

==See also==
{{wikiquote}}
* [[Republican Senatorial Medal of Freedom]]
* [[October Surprise]]



==Further reading==
*[[Reed Brody]]. ''Contra Terror in Nicaragua''. South End Press. 1985. ISBN 0896083136.
*[[Dinesh D'Souza]]. "Ronald Reagan: How An Ordinary Man Became An Extraordinary Leader". Free Press. 1999. ISBN 0684848236
*[[Curt Gentry]]. ''Last Days of the Late Great State of California'', (political history of the gubernatorial period).
*[[Edmund Morris]]. ''Dutch'', (full biography).
*[[Frances Fitzgerald]]. ''Way Out There in the Blue: Reagan, Star Wars and the End of the Cold War''. Touchstone. (political history of Reagan's S.D.I.) 2000. ISBN 0684844168.
*[[Lou Cannon]]. ''President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime '' Public Affairs. ISBN 1891620916
*[[Lou Cannon]]. ''Governor Reagan: His Rise To Power'' Public Affairs. ISBN 1586480308
*[[Lou Cannon]]. ''Ronald Reagan: The Presidential Portfolio''. Public Affairs. ISBN 1891620843
*[[Michael Deaver]] and [[Mickey Herskowitz]]. ''Behind the Scenes''. William Morrow. 1987.
*[[Elizabeth Drew]]. ''Campaign Journal: The Political Events of 1981-1984''. Macmillan. 1985.
*[[Marlin FitzWater]]. ''Call the Briefing! Bush and Reagan, Sam and Helen, a Decade with Presidents and the Press''. Times Books 1995.
*[[Jack W. Germond]] and [[Jules Whitcover]]. ''Blue Smoke & Mirrors: How Reagan Won & Why Carter Lost the Election of 1980''. Viking Press. 1981.
*[[Peter Schweizer]]. "Victory: The Reagan Administration's Secret Strategy That Hastened the Collapse of the Soviet Union". Atlantic Monthly Press. 1996. ISBN 0871136333
*[[Gary Sick]]. ''October Surprise: America's Hostages in Iran and the Election of Ronald Reagan''. New York: Random House. 1992.
*[[Alan Moore]] [[Bill Sienkiewicz]], [[Martha Honey]], [[Tony Avirgan]]. ''Brought to Light: Shadowplay : The Secret Team/Flashpoint: The LA Penca Bombing (Two Books in One)'' ISBN 091303567X
* Marc Green and Gail MacColl. ''Reagan's Reign of Error'' ISBN 0-394-75644-4 (a compendium of reversals and inaccuracies). 1983, 1987.

== External links ==
===Biographical information===
*{{imdb name|id=0001654|name=Ronald Reagan}}
* [http://www.reaganlibrary.com/ Ronald Reagan Presidential Library]
* [http://www.reaganlegacy.org/ Ronald Reagan Legacy Project]
* [http://www.ronaldreaganmemorial.com Ronald Reagan Memorial Foundation]<br>
'''News items'''
* [http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2004/reagan/index.html CNN Obituary]
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/editor/story/0,12900,1233501,00.html Survey of various press obits from The Guardian]
* [http://edition.cnn.com/resources/video.almanac/1981/reagan.shot/reagan.lg.mov Public Domain video in Quicktime of CNN reporting attempted assassination of President Reagan (Courtesy of CNN.com)]

===Speeches and documents===
* [http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/presiden/inaug/reagan1.htm First Inaugural Address]
* [http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/presiden/inaug/reagan2.htm Second Inaugural Address]
* [http://www.townhall.com/hall_of_fame/reagan/speech/empire.html Evil Empire Speech]
* [http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/resource/speeches/1985/91785c.htm President's News Conference September 17 1985 (makes reference to AIDS)]
* [http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/resource/speeches/1986/20686c.htm Message to the Congress on America's Agenda for the Future, February 6 1986 (repeated mention of AIDS)]
* [http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/rreaganchallenger.htm Shuttle ''Challenger'' Disaster Address]
* [http://www.governor.ca.gov/govsite/govsgallery/h/biography/governor_33.html Profile, Portrait and Inaugural Addresses as California Governor]
* [http://www.reagan2020.com Reagan 2020]

===Commentary (pro-Reagan)===
* [http://libertyunbound.com/archive/2004_10/friedman-reagan.pdf Letter to the editor by Milton Friedman on Reagan's record]
* [http://www.heritage.org/Research/PoliticalPhilosophy/hl832.cfm/ The Intellectual Origins of Ronald Reagan's Faith]
* [http://chinese-school.netfirms.com/articles/Ronald-Reagan-China.html Ronald Reagan and China]

===Commentary (anti-Reagan)===
* [http://www.alternet.org/story/18874/ 66 (Unflattering) Things About Ronald Reagan]
* [http://www.rand.org/publications/CF/CF129/CF-129.chapter6.html Lebanon: 1982&ndash;1984 by John H. Kelly]
* [http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Political/Political_Fictions_Didion.html Journalist Joan Didion on the Reagan administration]
* [http://www.democracynow.org/static/flashback.shtml Remembering the Dead: Democracy Now! Special Coverage of Reagan's Presidency]
* [http://counterpunch.org/blum06072004.html Journalist William Blum on Reagan and the cold war]
* [http://slate.msn.com/id/1000336/ Slate's &#8220;Gipper the Ripper&#8221;] &ndash; Selene Walters revisited

{{sequence|
prev=[[Jimmy Carter]]|
list='''[[President of the United States|President of the United States]]'''<br>1981&ndash;1989|
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{{sequence|
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list='''[[Governor of California|Governor of California]]'''<br>1967&ndash;1975|
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|width="40%" align="center"|'''[[United States Republican Party|Republican Party]] [[President of the United States|Presidential]] [[:Category:U.S. Republican Party presidential nominees|candidate]]'''<br>1980 (won) - 1984 (won)
|width="30%" align="center"|Followed by:<br>'''[[George H. W. Bush]]'''
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Revision as of 21:42, 6 December 2004

Worst president EVER.

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