Ronald Reagan

As George Will writes in his obituary, Reagan was the perpetual optimist. It was said that if Reagan had entered a room knee-high full of horse shit, his first question would inevitably have been "Where is the pony?" His optimism was reflected in his entire presidency - striving to make America and the world better. And in many ways he succeeded where the "more intelligent" and less judgmental failed. He was instrumental in bringing down the "evil Empire", in large part because he was able to call it by its true name - evil. Mark Steyn recounts one telling story in his obituary to "The Great Communicator"

Thanks to his clarity, around the world, governments that had nations have been replaced by nations that have governments. Most of the Warsaw Pact countries are now members of Nato, with free markets and freely elected parliaments.

One man who understood was Yakob Ravin, a Ukrainian immigrant who in the summer of 1997 happened to be strolling with his grandson in Armand Hammer Park near Reagan's California home. They happened to see the former President, out taking a walk. Mr Ravin went over and asked if he could take a picture of the boy and the President. When they got back home to Ohio, it appeared in the local newspaper, The Toledo Blade.

Ronald Reagan was three years into the decade-long twilight of his illness, and unable to recognize most of his colleagues from the Washington days. But Mr Ravin wanted to express his appreciation. "Mr President," he said, "thank you for everything you did for the Jewish people, for Soviet people, to destroy the Communist empire."

And somewhere deep within there was a flicker of recognition. "Yes," said the old man, "that is my job."

Yes, that was his job.

He was seemingly a simple man and much like our current President, he was accused of being an idiot by the "thinking people". And like our current President, he was not afraid to judge our enemies and call them enemies without the nuance so beloved by the Left.

President Bush's statement on learning of Reagan's death is simple and to the point.