[During the Gulf War, in early 1991, the news coverage was so laudatory that a former media strategist for President Reagan was ecstatic.] If you were going to hire a public relations firm to do the media relations for an international event, ... it couldn't be done any better than this is being done. |
[Such was Reagan's belief in the power of radio that in the 1970s he turned down an offer to be a commentator on CBS television and instead opted for two and a half minutes of daily syndicated radio commentary.] His thinking was that he wanted to leave the impression of the commentary, rather than of a talking head, ... He thought the substance was going to last longer. |
He needed to reassure us on the economy and reassure people there is a future they can be positive about. |
He needed to reassure us on the economy, and reassure people there is a future they can be positive about. People have been saying no to that question everyone asks ? 'Am I going to be better off a year from now than I am today?' ? and that has been going on for the past two or three years. |
He was a great big garrulous guy who was very serious about his politics and very serious about Ronald Reagan. He was sort of the keeper of the flame. |
He was fun to be around. Reagan would light up when he came into the room. |
His thinking was that he wanted to leave the impression of the commentary, rather than of a talking head. He thought the substance was going to last longer. |
I think we were telling a joke, Brady and the president and I, walking out. |
It made him a lot more stubborn. He said, 'You know, I think there's a reason I've been spared, and I'm gonna follow my own instincts from here on out' And he did. |
It's something that now, with instant communications, we really want from a president. It's something that the national psyche needs when there's a disaster, a threat, a trauma. We want somebody there to tell us we will survive, we will get through it. It's like I used to say of Reagan, he was America, and America was him. That's what we want. |
Maureen's hoping she can go up and see her father, too, ... Good Morning America. |
The media I've had a lot to do with is lazy. We fed them and they ate it every day. |
To me, that's when I thought, there was a chance at that point that he might not make it. |
We don't have a national leader -- Reagan was the last one. I think if Republicans keep talking about finding another Reagan they make a mistake, because you might not find one for a hundred years. |
When we were engaged in the intensive parts of the investigation or trial preparation, I did not have time for anything else. |