[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.