I’m also pretty far behind the Reagan cycle, but it would be wrong if I didn’t stop in here to add a few more words to the chorus about the greatest President of my lifetime. The Reagan tributes are all over the place and it can be understood if some have begun to already tire of them. Yet, Reagan’s critical role in the history of the late 20th century and his lasting impact today fully justify the attention his passing has received.

Growing up, Reagan was the first President I remember, so many of his best qualities I took for granted at the time (his class, his conviction, his humor, his oratorical skill, etc…). Above all though, Reagan’s ideological legacy and optimistic spirit are what I will always remember most about the man.

Along with Winston Churchill, Reagan might be my favorite all-time political leader. Though it is sad to see him go, it is stirring to see him take his place in history.

A few random additional thoughts:

* Reagan and Churchill shared the defining characteristic of indefatigable optimism. Churchill, who often said he was “on the side of the optimists”, would live, against all odds, to be 90. Reagan, similarly, may be the most optimistic leader America has ever had. Dying at 93, he would also be the longest lived. Makes you wonder about the power of positive thinking.

* Kudos to John Kerry and many other Democrats for their classy responses to Reagan’s death. Others have not been so classy, but it would not be like Reagan to dwell on the negative.

* MSNBC here talks about one of the more amusing “what ifs” in Hollywood history: the rumor that Reagan was originally slated to star in “Casablanca”. I’m skeptical that anyone could have thought Reagan would be a good choice to play such a cynical character, but as I look at the back of my old VHS copy of the movie, there it is:

“…tough guy Humphrey Bogart at last becomes a romantic leading man (in a role originally intended for Ronald Reagan)”

* I have two minor quibbles with some of the lionization of Reagan. First, I don’t think we need to kick Alexander Hamilton, an important Founding Father, off the $10 bill in order to honor Reagan. In fact, I’m in favor of not naming any more non-military, federal entities after him. Small statues and plaques in local communities seem more appropriate. Secondly, I wince when I hear people say that Reagan “won the Cold War”. It's semantics, but I much prefer the phrase “led America to victory in the Cold War”. The men and women of the United States and every freedom-loving person in Eastern Europe and around the world who fought against the evil communist system won the Cold War. Every American who fought and struggled in Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, Grenada, Afghanistan, Greece, Iran, East Germany and every other battleground of the Cold War deserves their share of the credit. Reagan’s accomplishments were critical and his leadership was visionary, but he was not alone in the fight. No one would be quicker to point that out than Reagan himself. Which is part of what made his leadership so great.

* I saw Chris Matthews the other day remark that Reagan was devastatingly effective on his two main issues: anti-communism and reducing the size of the federal government, but always seemed to lose his focus on all the other issues. That is a pretty fair assessment…to a point. Reagan’s record in the Middle East, for example, is one weak spot. Yet, those two main issues were the overriding issues of the day and Reagan, to my mind, was dead right on both of them. We don’t deride Lincoln for being overly focused on preserving the Union or Washington for having been overly concerned with laying the foundations of our government for future Presidents. Reagan was a man of his time and he succeeded most on the issues that mattered to him most. I think history will continue to view him, and his admirable record, quite fondly.

UPDATE: A reader offers this link which appears to effectively debunk the Reagan/Casablanca story.