On the recordFebruary 9, 2011
I also want to tell him how much I enjoyed visiting his congressional district less than 2 weeks ago and visiting the Reagan Presidential Library, which is a fabulous recounting of the life of the man who I think was the greatest President of the 20th century. He led America to win the Cold War. He reinstilled the economic greatness of this country from the malaise of the 1970s. And, most importantly, he instilled in us his eternal optimism in America. In his farewell address, Reagan described how he envisioned the ``shining city'' he invoked countless times. He observed of his time in office, ``We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger, we made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad; not bad at all.'' ``Not bad,'' reflects the modesty of the man but not the magnitude of his accomplishments. Asked what Americans saw in him, Ronald Reagan replied, ``Would you laugh if I told you that I think, maybe, they see themselves . . . ?''
