Reagan, In His Own Hand: The Writings of Ronald Reagan that Reveal His Revolutionary Vision for America [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

As I said in my review on Reagan: Letters, his was an intellect unlike Nixon, Gore, Dole or Kerry. He did not think in terms of politics first but always in terms of people. He was (as one reviewer aptly noted) at heart a libertarian, revealed by his comments on adult drug usage, religion, taxes and personal freedom. This most abused of Presidents (think Hollywood and academia) effectively reshaped America and the world in his image - an accomplishment of outstanding proportions that few Presidents can approach.

It is not surprising that he supported Goldwater, another closet Libertarian. (I love his comment on election day, "I voted for a few Democrats." Can one imagine a comparable comment from Delay or Clinton?) I liked the rough letters - it shows us a mind in the process of arriving at a final thought. Sometimes the marked out parts are more informative than what remains. Once again, the intellectual range covered within these words is simply astounding - economics, philosophy, the proper role of govt, the correlation between economic and personal freedom, human motivation... One notes again that these are PHILOSOPHICAL (not political) undertones - no quick and easy answers on such questions as minimum wage, quotas, throwing money at education, mass transit, welfare...these were almost too pedestrian for someone determined to change America and the world.

To quote another reviewer, RR possessed one of the rarest of qualities - emotional intelligence. He recognized why people did what did and continually sought to make American into a place where everyone could reach their full potential. Another outstanding contribution to the political literature!

I first read this book when it was assigned for a graduate class at Wesleyan University. As one can imagine, the book was subjected to some pretty brutal criticism by the students. However, one area of agreement was that the philosophy developed was clearly his, that he wrote the speeches himself, and therefore the image of the "amiable dunce" that has long characterized the traditional academic's view of Reagan is, at least, an oversimplification. More likely, Reagan was an intellectually capable leader with a grasp of the "big picture" who could delegate public policy details to competent staffers, who at times failed in their responsibility.

Whatever your views of Reagan's domestic and foreign policy are, this book will give you insight into the philosophy that drove Reagan. Whether you want to cheer or scream at what you read, you will find the principles of the Reagan revolution clearly articulated. Moreover, this is pure Reagan. He is obviously influenced by William F. Buckley and National Review by this period, but these are not presidential speeches written by staffers and in house intellectuals. This is, to put is simply, the real Ronald Reagan. Everyone interested in understanding his legacy ought to read this book. Highly recommended.

I love all the pieces Ronald Reagan wrote because they show a man of passion, compassion, firm beliefs, and open mind, commitment and joy.