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Title: President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime by Lou Cannon ISBN: 1-891620-91-6 Publisher: PublicAffairs Pub. Date: 04 April, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $18.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (24 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: If you read one book on Reagan . . .
Comment: Vilified by the left and deified by the right, it sometimes seems like Reagan can't get a chance at being remembered for being a human being. Decade-long Reagan follower Lou Cannon's nearly 1000 page study of Reagan and his presidency, so far, has proven the first and also the best definitive book on the Reagan Administration.
Cannon and Reagan weren't friends, but he did cover him in the news since the Gipper's days as California governor. But even though Cannon ocasionally offers a helpful anecdote, or expresses sympathies with Reagan, the book is based entirely on his years of reporting and interviews with members of the administration. The interactions between Haig, Schultz, Weinberg, Mike Deaver, Stockman, Ed Meese, etc. form the backbone of the narrative. Seeing as how Reagan's paradoxical ability to envision the larger historical picture and his desire to have as little to do with administrative activities as possible, the real players often seem to be the many secretaries and bureaocrats around Reagan.
Not necessarily so, Cannon explains, but a fairly accurate simplification. In addition to Reagan's handeling, mishandeling, and unhandeling of the new economic reform package, the AIDS issue, Iran-Contra, Cannon explores what he and others have learned about Reagan in their years of working with him. Cannon weaves summaries and examples of Reagan's past throughout the entire book, bringing up personality traits or past experiences when they become relevant to the central story of the Reagan White House. The former President--a seemingly enigmatic figure, as Cannon admits--comes off as you'd expect; a dedicated, honest, visionary, perpetually friendly, distant, and intelligent but not in the traditional way presidents usually are.
Anti-Reaganites will point out that Cannon doesn't spend enough time on Reagan's supposed heartlessness towards the homeless and environment. The pro-Reagan crowd will be dismayed that Cannon could even suggest Reagan wasn't the perfect messianic presence he's been mythologized to be. Maybe it's a sign that this is, after all, an informed, even-handed book that should please most people looking for an overall picture of the Reagan Presidency.
Rating: 5
Summary: Masterful biography....one of the best I've ever read
Comment: Throughout this mammoth presidential biography, I was continually reminded how unbelievably fair and unbiased it was. I suppose such things should be a given, but too often the politics of the writer interfere with what should be a detached historical assessment. Cannon, more than any non-fiction writer on the scene (also see his "Official Negligence" for a similar lack of ideological grandstanding), respects the reader, knowing that credible (and exhaustive) sources, extensive, multi-facteted research, and a balance of criticism and praise brings the past alive far more than sanctimonious revisionism. As for the Reagan portrayed in Cannon's work, he is as most of America knew him to be: charming, devoid of vanity, genuinely friendly, stubbornly committed, and yes, unmistakably deficient in the realm of day-to-day politics. Moreover, Reagan himself understood his limitations, approaching the presidency as he would a film role, or as the CEO of a corporation. Because Reagan was not equipped intellectually to handle complex policy discussions and position proposals, he advocated (more so than any president this century) a "cabinet government," whereby all major decisions were delegated to who were presumed to be trusted advisors. To his near downfall, Reagan trusted too much and his reluctance (and inability) to tackle matters of high importance in his administration directly led to scandals, abuse of the public trust, and violations of stated goals. Reagan's achievements are given their due, but also the proper perspective, for Cannon is not seeking to deify his subject. Reagan was instrumental in the thaw of U.S.-Soviet relations, but he also missed many opportunities and often held too strongly to ideological positions that often contradicted the facts or what might have been a more pragmatic approach. And, lest we forget, the alleged opponent of big government failed to submit a balanced budget in his eight years in office and could not bring himself to cut valued programs of the New Deal legacy (due in part to a sentimental attachment to FDR). In many ways, Reagan was a complicated man, although his philosophies were anything but, which of course added to his lasting appeal with conservatives. Never a mystery and always up front with his intentions, Reagan was an attractive figure for a party in need of strong, dedicated leadership. However, Reagan was flawed in that he was unable to deal with direct confrontation, rapid change, and facts which came in opposition to his "inner script." In all, Cannon presents a fascinating figure; one worth remembering, but always with a realistic tinge. He gave us our pride, but it came (and continues to come) at a heavy cost.
Rating: 5
Summary: Great & unbiased !!
Comment: I had this book since beginning of 2002 and was always postponing to read it due to its size; after I started it went smoothly. I think this is a very balanced look at Reagan !
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Title: Governor Reagan: His Rise to Power by Lou Cannon ISBN: 1586480308 Publisher: PublicAffairs Pub. Date: 16 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
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Title: Ronald Reagan: The Presidential Portfolio: History as Told through the Collection of the Ronald Reagan Library and Museum by Lou Cannon, Michael Beschloss ISBN: 1891620843 Publisher: PublicAffairs Pub. Date: 13 November, 2001 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: Ronald Reagan: An American Life by Ronald Reagan ISBN: 0743400259 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: October, 1999 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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Title: Reagan: A Life in Letters by Kiron K. Skinner, Annelise Anderson, Martin Anderson, George P. Shultz ISBN: 074321966X Publisher: Free Press Pub. Date: 23 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: A Different Drummer: My Thirty Years with Ronald Reagan by Michael K. Deaver, Nancy Reagan ISBN: 0060197846 Publisher: HarperCollins Pub. Date: 20 April, 2001 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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