Missive on Reagan

When I was wee, my mother told me if I didn't have anything nice to say about someone, I shouldn't say it all. Well, invoking her dictum for once, I'll refrain from the usual vitriol. And besides, I think Christopher Hitchens's hardhitter says enough.

If the late Ronald Reagan did anything right as president, aside from being born in the Land of Lincoln, he did infuse the US with a much needed shot of good old fashioned patriotism and national pride. With Watergate and the Iran hostage crisis in the rearview, the US was geared for a tremendous rebound. His verve, panache, and straight talk appealed to voters on both sides of the partisian fence. Although I loathed, even at a young age, the majority of his policies as well as his backhanded treatment of both domestic and international law, he should be credited with rallying the masses during a most crucial time in our nation's history.