Ronald Reagan: The Power of Conviction and the Success of His Presidency

by Peter Wallison

An icon of the twentieth century, Ronald Reagan has earned a place among the most popular and successful U.S. presidents. In this compelling firsthand account of Reagan’s presidency, Peter J. Wallison, former White House Counsel to President Reagan, asserts that Reagan took office with a fully developed public philosophy and strategy for governing that was unique among modern presidents. “I am not a great man,” Reagan once said, “just committed to great ideas.” Wallison shows how Reagan’s unyielding attachment to certain key ideas—communicated through his speeches—created a cohesive administration and revived the spirit of the nation. Reagan limited his personal efforts to those issues he considered central to his presidency, choosing to delegate to his cabinet and staff those matters he viewed as secondary to his agenda. This leadership style was responsible for Reagan’s accomplishments, but also for his missteps and the criticism he received from his detractors.During his presidency, Reagan experienced both enormous success—in the unprecedented growth of the economy, the first arms reduction agreement with the former Soviet Union, and the revival of confidence in America—and near disaster in the Iran-Contra affair. In Ronald Reagan, Wallison describes what it was like to be on Reagan’s White House staff and how Reagan’s attachment to principle produced both the best and worst days of his presidency.

Genres: Presidents, Politics

304 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2002

Reviews

[Jeff]

I usually enjoy reading books about Reagan, who I consider one of the best presidents of the 20th century. This one was a disappointment. The first third of the book does touch on the theme of how Reagan governed by conviction rather than by political expediency. It also explored what it contends was both one of Reagan's greatest strengths and a source of problems -- his tendency towards setting big picture goals, then delegating the details to subordinates. This tendency is highlighted in what makes up 2/3 of the book -- a detailed, minute-to-minute behind the scenes account of the Iran-Contra affair. Not surprising perhaps considering the author was White House counsel for the year this scandal took centre stage. But the account is so detailed with insider accounts and information that i often found my eyes glazing over. It was actually difficult to finish the book. It would have been more accurate to write the book and market it as a an insider's look at the Iran-Contra scandal. Although amid the endless details lies a fair account of Reagan's governing philosophy and insight into how the press treated and still treats Republican outsider presidents poorly, only those with a diehard interest in the Iran Contra scandal need crack this book open.

[Joe Rodeck]

The emphasis is on Reagan's strengths and style. Interesting discussion about the oft debated question on how intelligent and knowledgeable was this president.

What I liked most was the inside baseball from a white house operative.

It's too much of a hagiography. The author cannot even admit that Bonzo goes to Bitburg was the stupidest of blunders.

The second half of the book is a downer: all Iran-Contra. The author plays it very safe offering nothing new. Instead of *Ronald Reagan,* this might better have been titled, *Reagan, Regan, and the Iran-Contra scandal.*

[Sotaing]

Great President Ever!