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11-17-2001, 08:21 PM
Noonan: When character was king (http://www.townhall.com/columnists/davidlimbaugh/dl20011117.shtml)
David Limbaugh
November 17, 2001
Peggy Noonan has outdone herself with her biography of Ronald Reagan, "When Character Was King." Of all her extraordinary work, this beats anything I've seen -- and I think I know why.
I detect from Noonan's writings that she is a positive person, an optimist, an idealist (maybe even a dreamer) and a patriot. All of these things she shares with Ronald Reagan. So, the subject of this book was perfectly suited for Peggy, and it brought out the best in her -- her insights, her selection of material and, of course, her writing.
As to the selection of material, I can scarcely imagine how daunting it would be to sift through the mountains of information and determine what would make the final cut in a 327-page book. I face that task in microcosm as I struggle to decide just what to share with you in this column.
I read the book with the intention of writing about it, so I took notes of memorable passages along the way. I ended up with seven pages of handwritten notes, and it would have been twice that, except that about a third of the way through I had to become more selective out of necessity. The book is rich; it moved me in a big way.
Based on her firsthand experience, research and interviews with friends, family and major players, Noonan takes us inside Reagan's mind and otherwise lets us see things from an entirely different perspective. She doesn't try to candy coat the record just to make her old boss and conservative soul mate look good. She gives us the bad times, too, including his errors in judgment, such as with Iran-Contra. But while he erred, he did so for honorable reasons, "Reagan was romantic, and this time he paid dearly for it."
Since space is precious, let me give you just a few of Peggy's many fascinating insights and observations about Ronald Reagan.
His parents instilled in him the belief that everyone was equal in God's eyes; people should never be discriminated against on the basis of race or class. He never wore it on his sleeve or tried to prove it, but it was ingrained in him.
He was a prolific writer, but even as one of his speechwriters, Noonan didn't realize it until reading his earlier writings years after she'd worked for him. Instead of becoming a professional writer, he used his skill for political communication. "He had turned his art to the service of his beliefs."
It is tempting to think of him as an ordinary man who did extraordinary things, but that's too superficial -- and wrong! Though he came from humble beginnings, "there was some kind of huge destiny playing out within him." He was "a most extraordinary man indeed."
He learned his negotiating skills while working with the union in Hollywood. Also, he began to form beliefs there that would equip him to lead us to victory in the Cold War.
Initially, he wasn't worried about fighting communism, but his eyes were opened by the comments of a preacher. He later fought communism in Hollywood because he believed that films were the window through which the world saw America, and he didn't want the communists to taint that perspective.
There are a number of paradoxical things about Reagan:
His father was an alcoholic who even embarrassed Reagan at times, yet he exerted some powerfully positive influences that "were broadening, not narrowing. It gave the boys the sense that they were responsible for putting good things into the world."
Though his mother taught him and his brother not to judge their father because "alcoholism is a disease," Reagan ironically developed the conviction that we are responsible for our own choices in life. He chose to be sober.
He was a very warm person with a big heart, "a kind of liquid heart that flowed out to others," but he seemed to have few close friends in later life. Noonan traces the likely reasons for this.
Some thought of Reagan as an extremist, but he was anything but. Even in his zeal to purge the communist influence from Hollywood, he fought those who engaged in witch hunts and defended those who had been falsely accused of involvement.
...
Click here to read more (http://www.townhall.com/columnists/davidlimbaugh/dl20011117.shtml)
David Limbaugh
November 17, 2001
Peggy Noonan has outdone herself with her biography of Ronald Reagan, "When Character Was King." Of all her extraordinary work, this beats anything I've seen -- and I think I know why.
I detect from Noonan's writings that she is a positive person, an optimist, an idealist (maybe even a dreamer) and a patriot. All of these things she shares with Ronald Reagan. So, the subject of this book was perfectly suited for Peggy, and it brought out the best in her -- her insights, her selection of material and, of course, her writing.
As to the selection of material, I can scarcely imagine how daunting it would be to sift through the mountains of information and determine what would make the final cut in a 327-page book. I face that task in microcosm as I struggle to decide just what to share with you in this column.
I read the book with the intention of writing about it, so I took notes of memorable passages along the way. I ended up with seven pages of handwritten notes, and it would have been twice that, except that about a third of the way through I had to become more selective out of necessity. The book is rich; it moved me in a big way.
Based on her firsthand experience, research and interviews with friends, family and major players, Noonan takes us inside Reagan's mind and otherwise lets us see things from an entirely different perspective. She doesn't try to candy coat the record just to make her old boss and conservative soul mate look good. She gives us the bad times, too, including his errors in judgment, such as with Iran-Contra. But while he erred, he did so for honorable reasons, "Reagan was romantic, and this time he paid dearly for it."
Since space is precious, let me give you just a few of Peggy's many fascinating insights and observations about Ronald Reagan.
His parents instilled in him the belief that everyone was equal in God's eyes; people should never be discriminated against on the basis of race or class. He never wore it on his sleeve or tried to prove it, but it was ingrained in him.
He was a prolific writer, but even as one of his speechwriters, Noonan didn't realize it until reading his earlier writings years after she'd worked for him. Instead of becoming a professional writer, he used his skill for political communication. "He had turned his art to the service of his beliefs."
It is tempting to think of him as an ordinary man who did extraordinary things, but that's too superficial -- and wrong! Though he came from humble beginnings, "there was some kind of huge destiny playing out within him." He was "a most extraordinary man indeed."
He learned his negotiating skills while working with the union in Hollywood. Also, he began to form beliefs there that would equip him to lead us to victory in the Cold War.
Initially, he wasn't worried about fighting communism, but his eyes were opened by the comments of a preacher. He later fought communism in Hollywood because he believed that films were the window through which the world saw America, and he didn't want the communists to taint that perspective.
There are a number of paradoxical things about Reagan:
His father was an alcoholic who even embarrassed Reagan at times, yet he exerted some powerfully positive influences that "were broadening, not narrowing. It gave the boys the sense that they were responsible for putting good things into the world."
Though his mother taught him and his brother not to judge their father because "alcoholism is a disease," Reagan ironically developed the conviction that we are responsible for our own choices in life. He chose to be sober.
He was a very warm person with a big heart, "a kind of liquid heart that flowed out to others," but he seemed to have few close friends in later life. Noonan traces the likely reasons for this.
Some thought of Reagan as an extremist, but he was anything but. Even in his zeal to purge the communist influence from Hollywood, he fought those who engaged in witch hunts and defended those who had been falsely accused of involvement.
...
Click here to read more (http://www.townhall.com/columnists/davidlimbaugh/dl20011117.shtml)