The age of Reagan

"?Those who say that we{u2019}re in a time when there are no heroes, they just don{u2019}t know where to look.? {u2013}President Ronald Reagan, January 20, 1981 Hero. It was a word most Americans weren{u2019}t using much in 1980. As they waited on gas and unemployment lines, as their enemies abroad grew ever more aggressive, and as one after another their leaders failed them, Americans began to believe the country{u2019}s greatness was fading. Yet within two years the recession and gas shortage were over. Before the decade was out, the Cold War was won, the Berlin Wall came crashing down, and America was once more at the height of prosperity. And the nation had a new hero: Ronald Wilson Reagan. Reagan{u2019}s greatness is today widely acknowledged, but his legacy is still misunderstood.^ Democrats accept the effectiveness of his foreign policy but ignore the success of his domestic programs; Republicans cheer his victories over liberalism while ignoring his bitter battles with his own party{u2019}s establishment; historians speak of his eloquence and charisma but gloss over his brilliance in policy and clarity of vision. From Steven F. Hayward, the critically acclaimed author ofThe