Jon Kyl: “America mourns the loss of an epic-making leader, Ronald Wilson Reagan. As the biographer Lou Cannon has said, Reagan…”

“America mourns the loss of an epic-making leader, Ronald Wilson Reagan. As the biographer Lou Cannon has said, Reagan ``possessed a special `something' that transcended the appeal of ordinary politicians,'' and he knew it. Even so--and this is an important point--he was neither a vain man nor in love with power. In not misusing that special appeal that he had, he showed such character and goodness. He could have been, but was not, a demagog. He was trying to accomplish his exalted vision of this country, only that. And in large measure, he succeeded. Militarily, he rebuilt America's capacity to defend itself and its allies. Reagan's defense buildup led to U.S. victories in the cold war, the Persian Gulf war, and beyond. In fact, dealing skillfully with a Congress controlled during most of his Presidency by the other party, he secured funding for weapons systems that are still being used. Diplomatically, he achieved with the Soviet Union, our adversary for most of the last century, an accord that eliminated whole classes of nuclear weapons from the stockpiles of both countries. Politically, he enabled us to regain confidence in America.”