Missing Reagan

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I miss this guy, everything about him.

I miss his optimism, his dignity, his self confidence, but mostly I miss his wit. Here was a president whose best jokes always seemed to be at his own expense. You can do that when you possess great faith not only in yourself but in your country. I didn’t agree with everything he did as President. In many areas he was a great success, but in others he failed miserably. In this regard he was not unlike all who came before or after him, a mixed bag.

But, who among us in this day and age of humorless political discourse doesn’t long for a President who routinely said things like this:

1. “If the government were placed in charge of the Sahara desert, there would be a sand shortage within three years.”
2. “It’s true that hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance?”
3. “I’m not worried about the deficit. It’s big enough to take care of itself.”
4. When responding to a reporter’s worry that he was known to take long naps in the afternoon, “I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency…even if I’m in a cabinet meeting.”
5. “Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. But I have found that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.”
6. “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”
7. When answering a reporter’s question about whether he was too old to run for President…”Thomas Jefferson once said, ‘We should never judge a President by his age, only by his works.’ And ever since he told me that I’ve stop worrying.”
8. First remarks at the beginning of a press conference, “Before I refuse to answer any of your questions, I have an opening statement.”
9. “One way to make sure crime doesn’t pay is to let the government run it.”
10. “I have wondered at time what the Ten Commandments would have looked like had Moses run them through Congress.”
11. “Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.”
12. Responding to criticism of his foreign policy by Ed Asner…”What does an actor know about politics?”

Oh yes Mr. President, I surely do miss you.