Tom Udall: “this week our Nation mourns the death of Ronald Wilson Reagan, our 40th President of the United States. It has been…”

“this week our Nation mourns the death of Ronald Wilson Reagan, our 40th President of the United States. It has been stated in many of the newspaper and television commentaries that he was one of the more complex figures of the 20th century. As with all our major political leaders, he had his share of triumphs and failures. Ronald Reagan's irrepressible spirit and his conception of America as a ``shining city on the hill'' engendered a sense of renewal in America. Indeed, his optimism in our Nation and her people was as genuine as the man himself. Simply put, Ronald Reagan was a great American and a President who honored the office and considered it a privilege to serve. Without question, President Reagan represented the best of civility in American politics and the finest traditions of standing up for what you believe in. Even during the most intense political showdowns, he and former House Speaker Tip O'Neill could always sit down together after the day was done, as friends and fellow Americans. It was an era of bipartisan cooperation that seems, unfortunately, to have waned in recent years. President Reagan's legacy will forever be his vision which played a role in bringing about an ultimate end to the Cold War, as well as his drive to foster liberty and democracy where previously only tyranny had thrived.”