Jon Kyl: “Robert Robb is one of the great columnists in American journalism today, and his tribute to Ronald Reagan is among his…”

“Robert Robb is one of the great columnists in American journalism today, and his tribute to Ronald Reagan is among his best work. Ronald Reagan wrote my first fan letter. When he announced for president in 1976, I was editor of the student newspaper at Occidental College in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Times had developed an obsessive dislike for Reagan. And it pounded on his announcement speech, denouncing it and him for superficiality and a lack of specifics. Of course, it's standard fare for announcement speeches to enunciate broad themes. And the only thing that would have unhinged the Times more than a lack of specifics from Reagan would have been if he had been specific. And so I wrote a column for the student newspaper having a bit of sport with the Times' hypocrisy and disequilibrium. Not much later, I was astonished to receive a letter from Reagan. Apparently being defended in a student newspaper was an unusual enough event to catch the attention of his campaign. Reagan thanked me for my 'generous words,' and allowed that 'a great part of my pleasure was your masterful handling of the Times.'”