Reagan - the Man Who Truly Reinvented Himself

Reagan the inevitable? Hardly. Today, as we approach the century mark for Ronald Reagan, many often forget that this man ran for U.S. President four times and lost twice. "He had to fight for every inch, he had to make it happen," writes Peggy Noonan in the Feb. 4 Wall Street Journal. Noonan, the author of many of Reagan's most memorable speeches, saw firsthand the fruits of how Reagan literally reinvented himself. A Democrat turned Republican, Reagan was the live coast-to-coast television host of the 1955 opening of Disneyland. Clad in a white tux and black bow-tie, Reagan then would have hardly been considered a possible future two-term governor of California (which he was in the mid-1960s), much less presidential timber. But Reagan, "a ceaseless little engine of ambition" (according to Noonan), had different ideas of who he was and who he would become.

Often called "The Great Communicator," Reagan demurred: "I never thought it was my style or the words I used that made a difference: it was the content. I wasn't a great communicator, but I communicated great things."

Knowing that, and never giving up on re-inventing himself, Reagan made good on his brand promise--he became a great president. As Noonan points out, the world found out in the 1980s that "this guy means business." All this after a high-profile "flop" at running for the presidential nomination in 1968 against Richard Nixon, then losing again in 1976.

In or out of influence, Reagan simply never gave up.

And then, when he did win, America "voters weren't charmed, they were convinced." Reagan won his global battles time and time again simply by "just trying to do what was right," according to Noonan.

Ever good-naturedly ambitious, Reagan is today defined as "a good man who became a great president," capturing the hearts and respect of millions.

An entire generation in the 21st century has no personal recollection of the dark days of the Soviet Union, which represents an eloquent testimony--like him or hate him--to the vision of the man from Illinois by way of California--Ronald Reagan.