On the recordFebruary 3, 2011
as a native Californian, I come to the floor now to honor the 100th birthday of President Ronald Reagan. Former First Lady Nancy Reagan asked that I serve on the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission and I was very honored to accept. Today, I join Senator Jim Webb, also a member, and Orrin Hatch, to continue President Reagan's spirit of bipartisanship. We have invited Senators on both sides of the aisle to join us here on the floor. From Simi Valley, in his beloved California, to our Nation's capital, Americans this month are honoring President Ronald Reagan. These centennial events are intended to reach all Americans, including many born after President Reagan left office. Those who remember Ronald Reagan as Governor or as President know how he impacted history. But there are some who may not realize that the society we live in today is, in part, due to the policies of President Reagan. Young adults today grow up without the fear of nuclear war in the back of their mind, and students of tomorrow will work to achieve President Reagan's dream of a world without nuclear weapons. It can be said that every great President can be remembered in just one sentence. Some examples: 'He freed the slaves;' 'He made the Louisiana Purchase.' Yet, 22 years after he left office and 7 years after his death, the name Ronald Wilson Reagan can still provoke a complex debate. There is no one phrase that can describe his legacy.
