[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 16 (Tuesday, February 6, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S894-S895]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                RONALD REAGAN AT 85: A BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE

  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, today was a very special day at the Senate 
Republican policy lunch, as we spoke with President Reagan on the 
phone, and wished him a very happy 85th birthday.
  Last week, the Senate passed a resolution paying tribute to President 
Reagan on this occasion, and I have seen a variety of other salutes in 
recent newspapers.
  One of the best of these was written by long time White House 
correspondent Trude Feldman, and is published in today's Wall Street 
Journal.
  Trude first met Ronald Reagan when, as the then-president of the 
Screen Actors Guild, he signed her SAG card. She also covered the 
Reagan presidency, as she has so many others. And her portrait of him 
is rich in personal recollections and fond memories. In short, it 
captures the essence of this remarkable man.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the article by Trude 
Feldman be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

              [From The Wall Street Journal, Feb. 5, 1996]

                Ronald Reagan at 85: A Birthday Tribute

                         (By Trude B. Feldman)

       Tomorrow Ronald Reagan celebrates his 85th birthday, thus 
     becoming the fifth American president to reach that 
     milestone. ``The anniversaries of my birth aren't 
     important,'' he once told me. ``What is important is that 
     I've tried to lead a meaningful life, and I think I have.''
       The meaning of his extraordinary life goes beyond his 
     various achievements as our 40th president. Those 
     achievements would not have been possible were it not for a 
     moral fiber and affability that most Americans expect but 
     seldom get from their presidents. While Ronald Reagan's 
     ethics and principles played a major role in his efforts to 
     balance economic growth with true human needs, his courage 
     and steadfast convictions helped set a new, positive 
     direction for America--lifting it from a feeling of 
     discouragement, and giving the people renewed confidence and 
     pride in their nation. His commitment also served as the 
     necessary catalyst in developments that led to the end of the 
     Cold War.
       In an era of cynicism about the character and veracity of 
     political leaders, Mr. Reagan's integrity and vision warrant 
     particular attention on this, the 85th anniversary of his 
     birth.


                       the ``great communicator''

       His courage as the ``Great Communicator'' was evident in 
     his dramatic open letter 15 months ago in which he revealed 
     that he had been diagnosed with the early stages of 
     Alzheimer's disease. His handwritten letter was poignant, and 
     vintage Reagan. Afflicted with the irreversible neurological 
     disorder, he wrote that ``In sharing the news, it might 
     promote greater awareness of this condition. . . I intend to 
     live the remainder of the years God gives me, doing the 
     things I've always done. I now begin the journey that will 
     lead me into the sunset of my life.''
       Colin Powell is among the millions who were moved by Mr. 
     Reagan's gesture. ``It was a beautiful personal letter to 
     everyone,'' Gen. Powell told me. ``Frankly, that action made 
     it easier for me to deal with my wife's depression when it 
     became public.''
       During a conversation I had with Ronald Reagan last year, 
     he wondered aloud whether he had inherited the illness from 
     his mother. Alzheimer's may have somewhat diminished his 
     spark, but Mr. Reagan's genuineness and charisma still shine 
     through. Away from the Oval Office for seven years now, he 
     still looks presidential. Routinely working in his office, he 
     continues to captivate visitors with his inimitable 
     personality and attentiveness.
       His dark brown hair is now tinged with a bit of gray, and 
     he remains the model of good grooming and fashion. One day 
     last week, he was his old handsome self attired in a blue 
     pinstripe suit and blue tie, accentuated by a gold tie clip 
     in the shape of the state of California, where he served 
     eight years as governor. ``The reason I'm doing as well as I 
     am,'' he says, ``is because of loving support from Nancy [his 
     wife of 44 years]. She is my comfort, and has enhanced my 
     life just by being a part of it. She has made it so natural 
     for us to be as one that we never face anything alone.''
       Mr. Reagan's close brush with death 15 years ago changed 
     his attitude toward life and death. It was on his 69th day as 
     president when, from a distance of 13 feet, I saw him shot by 
     a would-be assassin. Mr. Reagan told me the traumatic 
     experience had given him a greater appreciation of life that 
     he had previously taken for granted. ``My survival was a 
     miracle,'' he said. ``The ordeal strengthened my belief in 
     God and made me realize anew that His hand was on my 
     shoulder, that He has the say-so over my life. I often feel 
     as though I'm living on the extra time God has given me.
       When Ronald Wilson Reagan was born in Tampico, Ill., his 
     delivery was so complicated that his mother was cautioned not 
     to bear more children. So she doted on him and soon became 
     the primary influence in his life. From her, he acquired the 
     stability and confidence that later enabled him to weather 
     personal and political storms with equanimity. She fostered 
     in him and his brother an incentive to work hard, and to live 
     by the Ten Commandments and by the Golden Rule.
       ``My parents were rich in their love and wisdom, and 
     endowed us with spiritual strength and the confidence that 
     comes with a parent's affection and guidance,'' the former 
     president told me. ``The Reagans of Illinois had little in 
     material terms, but we were emotionally healthy.''
       The Rev. Billy Graham describes Ronald Reagan as a man of 
     compassion and devotion, a president whom America will 
     remember with pride. ``He is one of the cleanest, most moral 
     and spiritual men I know,'' Mr. Graham told me. ``In the 
     scores of times we were together, he has always wanted to 
     talk about spiritual things.''
       On many occasions over the past 21 years, Mr. Reagan shared 
     with me his philosophies and his views on politics, foreign 
     affairs, religion and human nature. ``I believe that each 
     person is innately good,'' he observed. ``But those who act 
     immorally do so because they allow greed and ambition to 
     overtake their basic goodness.''
       These beliefs, while the source of many of his greatest 
     triumphs, also set the stage for some of his disappointments. 
     One regret was that he did not demand greater accountability 
     from his staff--``especially those who abused their power 
     with arrogance.'' He acknowledged that the tendency not to 
     fire anyone had serious ramifications. ``For instance, any 
     errors in our dialogues with Iran resulted because some of my 
     subordinates exceeded their instructions without reporting 
     back to me,'' he stressed. ``When I read the Tower Commission 
     Report, it looked as if some staff members had taken off on 
     their own.''
       Another issue that troubled him was the public perception 
     that he was prejudiced against minority groups and not 
     concerned about the poor. He maintains that he had fought for 
     legislation that would make welfare programs more effective. 
     ``My economic program was based on encouraging businessmen to 
     create more jobs and to better the conditions of their 
     employees,'' he noted. ``I think I succeeded.''
       On the day before his presidency ended, Mr. Reagan granted 
     me his last interview in the Oval Office. He told me that the 
     saddest day of his eight-year tenure was on Oct. 23, 1983, 
     when 241 U.S. servicemen died in a terrorist bombing in 
     Beirut, Lebanon. ``To save our men from being killed by 
     snipers from private armies that were causing trouble in 
     Lebanon, it was decided to shelter them in a concrete-
     reinforced building,'' he recalled. ``But no one foresaw that 
     a suicide driver with a truckload of explosives would drive 
     into the building and blow it up.''
       At the close of that Oval Office interview, I asked him to 
     describe his presidency in one line. ``We won the Cold War,'' 
     he said without hesitation. ``That phrase didn't originate 
     with me, but I'll settle for it. What counts is that there is 
     an end to the Cold War, and I now feel justified in my theme 
     of `Peace Through Strength.' ''
       Former President George Bush adds: ``Ronald Reagan's 
     foresight put us in a position to change our relationship 
     with the Soviet Union and to make it possible for the changes 
     that took place in Eastern Europe. And he certainly helped 
     bring democracy to our hemisphere.
       Mr. Bush, having worked closely with Mr. Reagan as his vice 
     president, also told me: ``True, he was a man of principle on 
     the issues. But, even more than that, the American people 
     loved him for his genuine decency, his unfailing kindness and 
     his great sense of humor. He is a true believer in the 
     goodness of America.''
     
[[Page S895]]



                            the finest gift

       Edwin Meese III, former attorney general, notes that Mr. 
     Reagan's legacy to America continues to this day. ``Many are 
     calling the congressional leadership's agenda the Second 
     Reagan Revolution,'' he says. ``More importantly, Mr. Reagan 
     continues to inspire Americans of all ages to value the 
     patriotism and leadership which he so splendidly 
     demonstrated.''
       Longtime Reagan aide Lyn Nofziger concurs, adding: 
     ``History will surely record that the finest birthday gift 
     already given to Mr. Reagan by Americans is a Republican 
     House and Senate that are determined to carry on the Reagan 
     Revolution.''
       Yet Mr. Reagan says that the best birthday gift for him 
     this year would be that scientists receive the support they 
     need to find a treatment and a cure for Alzheimer's so that 
     others will be spared the anguish that the illness causes.
       Ever the altruist, Ronald Reagan--even for his birthday 
     wish--places the welfare of others above his own. It is a 
     characteristic that has served him faithfully until now, and 
     is one that will sustain him on his ``journey into the 
     sunset'' of his life.

                          ____________________