Remembering the Gipper & WFB...

“You didn’t just part the Red Sea—you rolled it back, dried it up and left exposed, for all the world to see, the naked desert that is statism. And then, as if that weren’t enough, you gave the world something different, something in its weariness it desperately needed, the sound of laughter and the sight of the rich, green uplands of freedom.” —President Ronald Reagan to William F. Buckley Jr., on the occasion of National Review’s 30th anniversary in 1985

“I want to say just a word or two about... Bill Buckley. And unlike Bill, I’ll try to keep my words to single syllables, or at the worst, only two. You know, I’ve often thought when I’ve been faced with memorandums from deep in the bowels of the bureaucracy what I wouldn’t give to have Bill as an interpreter...I think you know that National Review is my favorite magazine... NR isn’t a favorite only because it’s fought the good fight so long and so well, although that would be reason enough. It’s my favorite because it’s splendidly written, brilliantly edited, and a pleasure to read. In fact, I honestly believe even if I were to suffer from mental illness or convert to liberalism for some other reason—NR would still be my favorite magazine because of its wit and its charm and intellectual quality of its contents... Let me just close by saying a heartfelt thank you to National Review for all you’ve done for the values we share.” —Ronald Reagan