Finally | The Reagan Diaries

told me a lot about Reagan | The Reagan Diaries | Ronald Reagan

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	• The Reagan Diaries Ronald Reagan HarperCollins, 2007 - 784 pages average customer review:based on 137 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Excellent Work, An Interesting Book

First, this is not the kind of book the Amazon "Five Star" system is meant for. It is a diary, a collection of daily journal entries from the former President. It's not a question of style, political theory, or presentation of ideas, story, or arguments. "It is what it is," not the often acid or rosy-glow stained pages of far too many autobiographies and memoirs. So, while I give this book "three stars," please consider that a reflection of the fact that it's not the kind of work you can critique in the normal sense of the word.

President Reagan apparently developed the idea of keeping a journal early in his life. For his time, this would not be all that unusual. Journals and day books, for those who could afford the time and materials, were once far more common than they seem to be today. And, the writing in these books most often tended to be sparse, to the point, and not inclined to embellishment. Further, a focus on prosaic and "day to day" details was also a common feature of this writing style. Reagan, being a product of his age, follows this style faithfully. The thing I found most surprising is that he could manage to retain that kind of flatness as President of the United States, a position that must provoke all manner of emotional stressors. But, I thought he resisted whatever inclination to hyperbole he might have had admirably. In this, the daily life and a few daily thoughts of Regan the man manage to come through, and not, refreshingly, as homily to self or the crucifixion of perceived foes. These kind of unguarded, candid glimpses into the minds of the powerful are rather hard to come by, so while many of the entries might be terse and even dull, even the "dullness" is, of itself, remarkable. And a few of these notes do reveal a man who was not ignorant of the tragedy and humor going on in the nation he governed, just as they, in my opinion, reveal a man whose mental powers slowly diminished as time was going by, a clear harbinger of the dreadful illness that finally killed him. The tonal changes are subtle, but definitely there.

In a superior editing job, the text is embellished or punctuated only by very brief, bracketed comments that explain what was going on at the time Reagan wrote a particular entry. These comments are clear, concise, and to the point, and of great assistance to the reader.

No revelatory bombshells explode in these pages, no fireworks whizz and detonate. It's not that kind of work, and not meant to be. And read as what it is, it allows, perhaps, a tiny window to open in one powerful man's thinking. It will not change anyone's mind about Ronald Reagan, but it will allow a little closer understanding of him, far closer than anyone usually gets to the American President. And, for anyone interested in that subject, this is a "must have."

Recommended.

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Finally

Finally we have the thoughts of the President as things transpired in real time. In this book you will learn how S.D.I and the fear it struck in the hearts of the USSR literally forced Gorbachev and the Soviets to the bargaining table. In fact, some of the technology Reagan supported funding is in use today. Also, you see without a shadow of a doubt the liberal bias of the Mainstream Media in their "reporting" of their version of the Iran-Contra mess. You also learn the truth about the lies that Bob Woodward of the Washington Post tried to pull off after stating that William Casey gave him information on his deathbed. There was no such conversation at all!

Reagan even mentions the astrologer that Nancy and the President allegedly met with. They never met with her nor had even heard of her in their entire lives until Don Regan's book was released (a man who was asked to resign by then V.P. George H.W. Bush because of his involvement with the Iran-Contra affair). There are many funny remarks about the rabid Democrat reporter Sam Donaldson in here, and Reagan expresses his disappointment about his so-called "reporting." But when Donaldson's mother dies toward the end of Reagan's second term, he graciously makes a personal call to Sam expressing his condolences. Reagan was a decent man and a great President that forced the end of the cold war with his policies. Only partisan revisionists can claim otherwise.

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told me a lot about Reagan

The reason I read this book was to learn more about this gifted politician. A few things that grabbed me about it:

*Reagan agonized more about, and was much more engaged in, the details of issues than his detractors at the time believed. Here's an example regarding the question of an embargo on grain exports to the Soviet Union: "I've always felt it hurt our farmers more than it hurt Soviets. Many of our allies filled the gap and supplied Soviets. But now how do we lift it without sending wrong message to Soviets?"

*On the other hand, his entries do tend to be quite terse. Reagan focused heavily on day-to-day details, but was not particularly philosophical or reflective. If you are looking for deep thoughts about the proper role of government, you will get few of them.

*On issue after issue, Reagan was much more pragamatic than some had thought at the time. He rejects claims that he sought to roll back the New Deal (stating that he was instead "trying to undo the Great Society" of Lyndon Johnson), was willing to support "tax regulation to tighten loopholes" and endorsed a 1982 tax incrfease as "the price we have to pay for spending cuts." He supported anticommunist guerillas in a variety of nations, but refused to support Mozambique's anticommunist revolt because he believed "they pillage and massacre." And yes, he did believe that by selling arms to Iran, he was aiding "moderate leaders in the Army."

*I also got a sense of what issues Reagan really cared about. I noticed lots of references to taxes, spending and the Cold War. Social issues (except for abortion and drugs) he was less interested in; for example, he showed little interest in church-state issues (e.g. school prayer) or racial issues such as affirmative action.

On balance, Reagan comes across as a lot more like Gerald Ford than many would have guessed: a practical, pragmatic conservative.

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Reagan-nomics

Now, almost 20 years later we finally begin to appreciate what Reagan did during his presidency! This book is such a great insight into his life there. It has real excerpts from his diary, along with thousands of pictures with commentary.

Nice addition to your home library collection!

Reagan, the best ever!

If you want to REALLY know the man and his ideas, this book is it! If only we had someone like him now to get this country back from this brink that Obama is putting us in. God Bless Ronald Reagan!

During his two terms as the fortieth president of the United States, Ronald Reagan kept a daily diary in which he recorded, by hand, his innermost thoughts and observations on the extraordinary, the historic, and the routine day-to-day occurrences of his presidency. Now, nearly two decades after he left office, this remarkable record?the only daily presidential diary in American history?is available for the first time.

Brought together in one volume and edited by historian Douglas Brinkley, The Reagan Diaries provides a striking insight into one of this nation's most important presidencies and sheds new light on the character of a true American leader. Whether he was in his White House residence study or aboard Air Force One, each night Reagan wrote about the events of his day, which often included his relationships with other world leaders Mikhail Gorbachev, Pope John Paul II, Mohammar al-Qaddafi, and Margaret Thatcher, among others, and the unforgettable moments that defined the era?from his first inauguration to the end of the Cold War, the Iran hostage crisis to John Hinckley Jr.'s assassination attempt.

The Reagan Diaries reveals more than just Reagan's political experiences: many entries are concerned with the president's private thoughts and feelings?his love and devotion for Nancy Reagan and their family, his belief in God and the power of prayer. Seldom before has the American public been given access to the unfiltered experiences and opinions of a president in his own words, from Reagan's description of near-drowning at the home of Hollywood friend Claudette Colbert to his determination to fight Fidel Castro at every turn and keep the Caribbean Sea from becoming a "Red Lake."

To read these diaries?filled with Reagan's trademark wit, sharp intelligence, and humor?is to gain a unique understanding of one of the most beloved occupants of the Oval Office in our nation's history.

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