[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12090]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            MOURNING THE PASSING OF PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. JANE HARMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 8, 2004

  Ms. HARMAN. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in offering a tribute 
to former President Ronald Reagan. He is rightly remembered as a 
larger-than-life figure--a man who conquered first Hollywood, then 
California, and then Washington, DC, and whose message of freedom and 
democracy spread around the world. Though I did not know him well, I 
did know his daughter Maureen very well, and she is also missed.
  President Reagan was naturally possessed of the qualities that make a 
great leader. As Governor of California and later as President, he used 
a blend of humor, kindness and boldness to communicate with the 
American people, to challenge and defeat the Soviet adversary, and to 
promote his uniquely American vision of how things should be.
  While I disagreed with a number of his policies, I always admired his 
ability to convey his ideas and his power to persuade.
  The enormous outpouring of emotion and love for this man comes as no 
surprise. When we think of Ronald Wilson Reagan, we will remember his 
infectious optimism and grace, and his belief that there is always a 
better day ahead for America.

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