I am sure Patricia Neal is a very lovely lady, Duncan. But she had a devastating stroke at a relatively young age. Did she seem totally recovered to you? Jane Wyman has said that Reagan was not terribly bright, and sort of boring, if I recall correctly. I don't have the exact quote available, however. She was married to him, so I would consider her something of an expert. I do think Reagan is a basically good and decent person, something I do not feel about Bill Clinton.
In my mind it is quite possible to sort out the public part of a president from the private part. Reagan's place in history, and how he will be viewed, are obviously under revision, as we can see from the PBS documentary. But it would be very difficult to deify this person, who probably had a very good heart, but had a very troubled family life. It is really hard for children of alcoholics to have anything but dysfunctional families themselves without therapeutic intervention, and I certainly don't blame Reagan for that failure. He and Nancy were really in love, and the marriage itself is quite special. |
