    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
    [June 12, 2004]
    [Pages 1033-1034]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    June 12, 2004

        Good morning. This week, America mourned the passing of President
    Ronald Reagan. We remembered a gentle,
    decent man and one of the greatest leaders our Nation has known. He was
    a courageous patriot whose leadership transformed the country and the
    world he leaves behind.
        In this time of sadness, we think especially of Nancy
    Reagan, a loyal, loving wife of 52 years, and
    the President's three
    children and the rest of the Reagan family.
        Ronald Wilson Reagan entered the world
    more than 93 years ago in an apartment above a local bank in Illinois.
    His life would include success in careers from sports broadcasting to
    film acting to public office.
    Along the way, his deepest convictions were formed, and through all the
    trials of life, those convictions never wavered.
        Ronald Reagan believed that everything
    happens for a reason and that we can trust in God's purposes. He
    believed that people are basically good. He had no tolerance for bigotry
    or injustice. Above all, he believed in the courage and triumph of free
    men and in the capacity of the American people to overcome any obstacle.
        President Reagan brought those
    convictions to the White House in 1981, and he departed 8 years later
    with achievements that have endured. With bold, persistent action, he
    restored the confidence of our

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    Nation, strengthened the spirit of free enterprise, challenged and
    shamed an oppressive empire, and inspired millions with his conviction
    and moral courage.
        As he showed what a President should
    be, he also showed us what a man should be. Ronald Reagan carried
    himself with a decency and attention to the small kindnesses that also
    define a good life. He was a courtly, gentle, and considerate man, never
    known to slight or embarrass others. From the Oval Office, he took time
    to answer letters from schoolchildren and grandmothers and countless
    strangers curious about life in the White House.
        Ronald Reagan deeply loved the United
    States of America, and that love is being returned. Over the past week,
    tens of thousands of mourners stood in line in California and in
    Washington, DC, to pay their final respects. There were 21-gun salutes
    and dignified processions and homemade memorials at a funeral home in
    Santa Monica.
        Now that Nancy Reagan has taken her
    husband to his place of rest, we offer our
    gratitude. Our country is stronger and our world is freer for the brave
    leadership of this modest son of America. Ronald Reagan always told us
    that for America, our best was yet to come. We know that is true for him
    too. His work is done, and now a shining city awaits him.
        May God bless Ronald Reagan. Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 10:01 a.m. on June 11 in the Cabinet
    Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on June 12. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    June 11 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office of
    the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of this
    address. The related proclamation and Executive order of June 6 are
    listed in Appendix D at the end of this volume. The related proclamation
    of July 2 is printed in the Federal Register at 69 FR 41179.