Ronald Reagan How an Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader [Paperback]

In this enlightening new look at one of our most successful, most popular, and least understood presidents, bestselling author and former Reagan aide Dinesh D'Souza shows how this ordinary man was able to transform the political landscape in a way that made a permanent impact on America and the world.Ronald Reaganis a thoughtful and honest assessment of how this underestimated president became a truly extraordinary leader.Dinesh D'Souza,a research scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, served as Senior Domestic Policy Analyst in the Reagan White House from 1987 to 1988. He is the bestselling author ofIlliberal EducationandThe End of Racism.He lives in the Washington, D.C., area with his wife, Dixie, and his daughter, Danielle.Chapter One
Why Reagan Gets No Respect
Ronald Reagan did more than any other single man in the second half of the twentieth century to shape our world, yet his presidency and his character remain little understood and often grossly misunderstood. Any intelligent examination of Reagan must begin with the recognition that he was a mystery personally and politically. Most people find this difficult to believe, because during his two terms in office Reagan established an intimate television rapport with us. Whether we approve or disapprove of his policies, we think that we know him. Yet we forget that he was an actor.
Lou Cannon, who has covered Reagan journalistically since the 1960s and written three books about him, told me, I regard Reagan as a puzzle. I am still trying to understand the man. Virtually everyone who knew Reagan well or observed him closely would agree. They are familiar with the public Reagan, but their efforts to discover the individual behind the mask have proved frustratingly elusive. Historian Edmund Morris, Reagan's official biographer, confesses that from a personal or human point of view, Reagan is the most incomprehensible figure he has ever encounteredl3“