As I write this on Super Bowl Sunday 2011, I don’t know who won the game, in fact, it hasn’t started yet. At this point it really doesn’t matter because I’ve just witnessed an inspiring and moving tribute to President Ronald Reagan on his 100th birthday. This televised tribute came from his museum in Simi Valley, California where he was laid to rest some seven years ago.
The tribute included the traditional laying of the wreath and a 21 –gun salute, wonderful patriotic music and entertainment, and great photos against the backdrop of this beautiful setting in the warm mid-day California sunshine. It included brief remarks of thanks from Nancy Reagan with introductions of members of Reagan’s cabinet, staff, diplomats from around the world, and Reagan Foundation members, which I’m proud to say I have supported for many years and will continue to until after my death.
Remarks by Gary Sinese, the actor and patriot, John Ryan, the Chairman of the Foundation were wonderful, but the highlight was an awesome and inspiring speech from Jim Baker, Reagan’s chief of staff and Secretary of Treasury, and Secretary of State under George Bush, the elder. It was probably the best speech I have heard in many years. It was delivered by Mr. Baker in a moving and poignant manner as someone who was very close to Reagan and Nancy. There was not a dry eye in the audience, including yours truly watching it from some 2,000 miles away. Those of you who saw this had to be moved, and wonder whatever happened to America since those days.
Baker’s speech recalled an era not much different from today coming out of the Carter presidency with double digit inflation, high interest and unemployment rates, threats from abroad, particularly the mid-East (Iran) were Carter bungled our response to the Iran hostage crisis, and our international reputation in ruin. Not to mention the ominous cloud of Communism and the Soviet Union hanging over our heads. I can remember Jimmy Carter telling us, like Obama tells us today, that we were at the end our reign as a great power and future generations would not be as blessed.
Suddenly from the West came this man who talked about our “rendezvous with destiny” and this “shining city on a hill called America” and told us our best days were ahead of us. He told us that we, the American people, would control our destiny, not our government. He said we will have “peace through strength” and built a defense force that is the greatest in modern history, with air power that is unprecedented. In fact, this military built under Reagan and used by Bush during the Gulf War, virtually eliminated the Iraqi army in less than 48 hours after Saddam Hussein’s attack on Kuwait, and less than 3 weeks during the Iraq war after 9/11. Last night, during a similar tribute, televised by C-Span of the Young America Foundation’s Reagan tribute, Dick Cheney said that he called Reagan after the Gulf War, as Secretary of Defense under Bush, and thanked him for building this marvelous defense machine to protect the American people.
How does this make you feel after seeing what we have today? Do you think Reagan would ever apologize to the world for America’s “arrogance”? If this doesn’t get you off your duff to make sure we get something better in 2012, nothing will……Thank you, Mr. Baker.
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