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Rating:  -
Reagan began his acting career reading cue-cards in the service of General Electric during his stint at the "GE Playhouse." Reagan's move to the White House had him doing much the same, reading cue-cards written for him by Big Business, including GE, a weapons and energy conglomerate that owns NBC.
If people want to get a good feel for the Reagan administration, I'd recommend the books of Michael Parenti, who documents the legacy of dirty wars in Latin America and the global class war that is turning our planet into a dystopia of haves and have-nots. Globalized "Reaganomics" (aka, neoliberalism) is creating a planet of slums and prisons, war and ecocide. The parts of government that served the general public are being shredded, while the entitlement programs of war profiteers and various robber barrons create record profits.
It's interesting to see the reverence Kim Jong Reagan receives; but whether people like him or not is immaterial, he wasn't in charge of the country. Rather, very rich and powerful corporate executives and an army of lawyers and lobbyists entrenched themselves during the Reagan administration. This corporate coup is something that many presidents have warned us about, including President Martin Van Buren who said, "I am more than ever convinced of the dangers to which the free and unbiased exercise of political opinion - the only sure foundation and safeguard of republican government - would be exposed by any further increase in the already overgrown influence of corporate authorities."
If people can break-away from the Reagan illusion, and want to learn about real power in this country, I'd recommend the DVD "The Corporation," and the books and radio show of Thom Hartmann.
Rating:  -
It is sad and dumbfounding to read the negative comments by those who cannot stomach any criticism or praise of Pres. Reagan. I was very young when he was elected governor of my home state, but I was interested in him since then. I admit to not have ever voted for him, but that is not to say that I found him unlikable or uninteresting.
This book is carefully crafted to give as fair a reading of Reagan as I have thus far seen. I don't touch the obviously partisan writers such as Peggy Noonan. The author quotes extensively from first hand sources and strives to give context to each significant issue of Reagan's presidency. From these sources and stories, it is obvious that Reagan was a much more formidable president than what he may sometimes have seemed. But, it was also obvious that a case for impeachment could have been made. Not noted in this book is House Majority leader's Tip O'Neil's refusal to consider an impeachment investigation for the good of the country. A sentiment that seems so out-of-place in the Congress of the last 15 years.
There were times during the Reagan presidency when he amused me and instructed me on political intelligence. There were also times when he saddened and angered me with his war-like diatribes. He may have sincerely believed that giving Iranians weapons to exchange for hostages was noble, but he lacked the elementary logic to notice that more hostages were then taken for further weapon negotiations.
All of these memories and emotions came forth as I read this book. I remembered why I could admire him, but not vote for him. These remembrances were mostly missing when I witnessed his funeral here in Washington D.C.
Those now in charge of the Reagan legacy diminish him as a person and a president by refusing to consider all parts of his person and presidency. They began this process when he became too ill to comment in public. They treated him like he was already dead and in a Stalinist purge removed all aspects of Reagan that did not conform to their ideology. As the author quoted one person commenting on Reagan's funeral, they honored a man different from the one that I remember. I guess for politics, as with war, truth is the first casualty. It is too bad that Ronald Reagan had to also be a victim.
Rating:  -
In "President Reagan: The Triumph Of Imagination", Richard Reeves provides the reader with a detailed history of the events of the Reagan Administration. Many of the key initiatives, reactions, triumphs and failures of the Administration, including the enactment of the economic recovery program, problems with Secretary of State Haig, the intervention in Lebanon, support of the contras, negotiations for the release of American hostages in Lebanon and the resulting Iran-Contra scandal, brushes with terrorists, controversies over the placement of missiles in Europe, Bitberg, and arms control and other negotiations with Gorbachev are presented in detail that I had not picked up at the time or in reading since.
The title sets out the scope of this tome. It is, first, about President Reagan. It is not a whole life biography. His pre-White House life is related only in terms of explaining the source of the world view which focused Reagan's vision during his presidential years.
The theme of the book is hinted at in the subtitle "Triumph of Imagination." Throughout the book, Richard Reeves uses the concept of Imagination to describe Reagan's apparent disconnect from reality. Throughout the book Reeves implies, without actually saying, that Reagan was showing signs of Alzheimer's while serving as president. The Reagan detractor will find much "Imagination" to enjoy in the characterization of Reagan as a declining old man who imagined a world that never really existed and accomplishments that were never really achieved. These very characterizations Reaganites will find irritating. Some of these irritating observations are noted by other historians, such as Dinesh D'Souza in " Ronald Reagan: How An Ordinary Man Became An Extraordinary Leader" (see my Amazon.com review) The Reaganite, however will find much "Triumph" to appreciate. While Reagan may have deluded himself when his imagined world did not correspond perfectly with reality, he also imagined things that never were and made them happen. That is the "Triumph" in the "Triumph of Imaginations" and that, not even Richard Reeves, would dare take away from Ronald Reagan.
Rating: -
This book shows that Ronald Reagan was a great president through a carefully researched reconstruction of what happened and what was said. Richard Reeves meticulously worked to find out what Reagan knew and thought, when Reagan knew and thought it, and then how Reagan and his administration acted. The book benefits from the treasure of Reagan archives that were made available shortly before Reeves researched this book.
"President Reagan: The Triumph of Imagination" portrays Reagan honestly and not like the Godzilla-monster war monger that neo-cons want you to believe about Reagan. That's not Reagan. He was strong and firm in his convictions, but also warm and willing to negotiate with people who were capable of honestly dealing with him. He sought "peace through strength." One of his greatest assets was knowing the difference between when he could deal with others and when he had to be firm.
He saw that he could change the dynamic of the Cold War, bring change to Eastern Europe, and work with the reformer Gorbachev, but Reagan also knew to be careful with the quicksand called the Middle East. After the bombing of marines in Lebanon, Reagan got out.
One startling fact about Reagan is that he believed nuclear weapons to be immoral and sincerely feared the Armegeddon. Briefly Reagan thought he could reach his dream of abolishing all nukes. The actual transcripts of the summit in Iceland with Gorbachev show that Reagan and Gorbachev tentatively agreed to abolish all nuclear weapons. Reeves does a wonderful job of telling the story, sentence by sentence, when Reagan told his advisors the news. You must read this book.
Originally Reeves did not like Reagan, but after carefully learning about the real Ronald Reagan, Reeves clearly was deeply impressed and had a change of opinion. Richard Reeves describes Ronald Reagan as a man who knew "how to be President, who knows that the job is not to manage the government but to lead a nation. In many ways, a quarter century later, he is still leading. As his vice president, George H.W. Bush, said after Reagan was shot and hospitalized in 1981: 'We will act as if he were here.' He is a heroic figure if not always a hero. He did not destroy communism, as his champions claim, but he knew it would self-destruct and hastened the collapse. No small thing. He believed the Soviet Union was evil and he had contempt for the established American policies of containment and détente. Asked about his own Cold War strategy, he answered: 'We win. They lose!'
According to an article in the Wall Street Journal in June of 2007, Rudy Giuliani named this book as one of five leadership books he found inspiring. Giuliani said, "My wife, Judith, recently bought me Richard Reeves's book (subtitled "The Triumph of Imagination"), which excels in depicting Ronald Reagan's management style and unrelenting pursuit of his core principles: the restoration of the American spirit, limited government, a strong defense and the defeat of communism. For a longer-range look at the experiences that shaped Reagan's values, I recommend "The Role of a Lifetime" and 'A Life in Politics,' both by Lou Cannon, both works that do a remarkable job of revealing the character of this amazing man."
Despite the reactionary reviews from those who probably prefer the Godzilla-monster Reagan, this is a good biography that shows the greatness of Reagan. I also liked the Reagan biography called "Fate, Freedom and the Making of History" by John Patrick Diggins. Both books benefit from the recently-released Reagan archives and deserve five stars.
Rating: -
Richard Reeves is a self proclaimed liberal. A funny thing happened to this author while writing this book, he learned to like and respect Ronald Reagan. In the end he wrote a fair and intriguing portrayl of the 40th U.S. President.
The first biography written using recently released records from the Reagan White House, Reeves compiles a revealing portrait. Reeves debunks the popularly accepted myth that Reagan was driven by his wife and his staff. The book shows a President who knew what he wanted to acomplish and how to get there. He dreamed big dreams and pressed those that worked for him to get them done.
The most exceptional revelation is that he often overuled the First Lady in her concerns and objections. He stubbornly dismissed her repested calls for him to fire Chief of Staff Don Regan during the Iran-Contra scandal.
Reeves also debunks some of the pro-Reagan myths including his promise to reduce the size of the federal government and the deficit while both grew by leaps and bounds during his two terms. He also shows that both Reagans were disciples of astrology long before the assasination attempt on his life.
I have read many Reagan biographies including the mis-guided DUTCH and the previuosly definitive book by Lou Cannon. Reeves' work on Reagan is now the ultimate biography of this President exploring every facet of his Presidency and presenting a balanced and thorough review of his eight years in office.
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