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Jewish World Review Nov. 19, 2001 / 4 Kislev, 5762
David Limbaugh
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com -- PEGGY NOONAN has outdone herself with her biography of Ronald Reagan, ""When Character Was King." Of all her extraordinary work, this beats anything I've seen -- and I think I know why. I detect from Noonan's writings that she is a positive person, an optimist, an idealist (maybe even a dreamer) and a patriot. All of these things she shares with Ronald Reagan. So, the subject of this book was perfectly suited for Peggy, and it brought out the best in her -- her insights, her selection of material and, of course, her writing. As to the selection of material, I can scarcely imagine how daunting it would be to sift through the mountains of information and determine what would make the final cut in a 327-page book. I face that task in microcosm as I struggle to decide just what to share with you in this column. I read the book with the intention of writing about it, so I took notes of memorable passages along the way. I ended up with seven pages of handwritten notes, and it would have been twice that, except that about a third of the way through I had to become more selective out of necessity. The book is rich; it moved me in a big way. Based on her firsthand experience, research and interviews with friends, family and major players, Noonan takes us inside Reagan's mind and otherwise lets us see things from an entirely different perspective. She doesn't try to candy coat the record just to make her old boss and conservative soul mate look good. She gives us the bad times, too, including his errors in judgment, such as with Iran-Contra. But while he erred, he did so for honorable reasons, "Reagan was romantic, and this time he paid dearly for it." Since space is precious, let me give you just a few of Peggy's many fascinating insights and observations about Ronald Reagan.
The book's predominant theme -- to the extent a biography can have a theme -- is that character matters and Ronald Reagan was steeped in it. He was not preoccupied with his legacy and felt no need to spin history; it would speak for itself. And to Noonan, it already speaks, in volumes.
She thought one true test of his character was whether he fulfilled his promises. She knew he had on the big things, but upon examination it wasn't just the big things, "comparing what he promised in 1980 with what he'd done by 1988, the sheer mounting of fact upon fact left me not only pleased but, in a way, moved." Noonan demonstrates though that it wasn't just Reagan's character that made him great, but also his beliefs and ideals. He passionately believed in America, in its freedom and its ideals. Indeed, to him, America was inseparable from idealism. As he wrote to her in 1993, "There's no question I am an idealist, which is another way of saying I am an American." He believed that in this nation any person, no matter his or her background, could make a difference. His entire life is a testament to that ideal. It is easy to conclude that Ronald Reagan is the object of hero worship by many conservatives, but I think that's inaccurate in that it's impersonal. It is more than that. People have a genuine love for President Reagan, not just for restoring economic prosperity and leading us to victory in the Cold War, but for making us proud to be Americans again and allowing us, as Americans, to feel good about ourselves. Peggy Noonan reveals her personal affection for him toward the end of the book when she describes the sad story of taking her 11-year-old son to meet him. It soon became obvious to her that his disease-ravaged mind would not permit him even to recognize her, much less understand what she wanted to tell him ("thanks for everything"). So she fell back on what her heart (and a whispering angel) told her to say, "Mr. President, I just came here to tell you that I love you. I want you to know that we love you very much." Don't worry. I haven't given but a tiny fraction of the book away; this book will make you feel good all over again, and grateful for this great man. If you love President Reagan you'll love the book. If you don't, be careful, because the book may just change your
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