Peggy Noonan's Memorial for a President

Peggy Noonan is one of my favorite essay/editorial writers. She worked with President Reagan, and wrote a fabulous book on the effect her working with him had in her life, entitled, When Character Was King.

She writes a unique tribute, I think, to the President. It is a very good read, and quickly recounts much of what President Reagan was. Her opening lines include this phrase:

"He was dying for years and the day came and somehow it came as a blow. Not a loss but a blow. How could this be?"

It would make a great opening line to a novel or collection of short stories. And it is a great opening for this essay.

There is also this recap of his position regarding the Soviet Union:

"And when it was over, the Berlin Wall had been turned into a million concrete souvenirs, and Soviet communism had fallen. But of course it didn't fall. It was pushed. By Mr. Know Nothing Cowboy Gunslinger Dimwit. All presidents should be so stupid."