Speakes Speaks for Reagan
The admission by Speakes that he had written many quotes attributed to President Reagan further illustrates the abysmal failure of Reagan’s hands-off style of leadership.
Surely speech writers and image consultants are a prerequisite for any elected official to achieve success and longevity in today’s multimedia culture. In fact, the tremendous popularity of Reagan despite his scandal-wracked Administration has resulted in his title “The Great Communicator.”
Yet how can history truly assess the Reagan legacy, or the world accurately judge the man, when his very words are contrived and rehearsed by others? He is a reminiscent of another wizard, a small man who hid behind a curtain, intimidating the world with a computer-generated image larger than life.
Let us hope our next great communicator can speak for himself.
RICHARD E. WILSON JR.
North Hollywood
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