The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

JIM LEHRER: Good evening. I'm Jim Lehrer. On the NewsHour tonight: Ronald Reagan's funeral and farewell; a recap of the events; plus analysis by Mark Shields and David Brooks.

JIM LEHRER: The nation said its official farewells to Ronald Reagan today. The day of ceremony began with a national memorial service for the former president in Washington. Then, Mr. Reagan's body was flown back to Simi Valley, California, for a private funeral and burial. Kwame Holman narrates our extended summary of the day's events.

KWAME HOLMAN: On a cool June morning shrouded by darkened skies, some 4,000 invited guests began arriving at Washington's National Cathedral two hours before the funeral for Ronald Reagan was to begin. And as the gathering inside began to grow, it took on the look of a major international event. There were prominent Republicans, including former members of President Reagan's administration-- his chiefs of staff Alexander Haig and James Baker; George Schultz, his secretary of state. And there was former President Gerald Ford, former Vice President Dan Quayle, and former Senator Bob Dole. Prominent democrats also were in attendance: Former President bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Clinton; former Vice President Al Gore; and former President Carter chatted with his vice president, Walter Mondale. Among the foreign dignitaries, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, former Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev, and Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan; British prime minister Tony Blair; and Charles, prince of Wales. There, the hundreds of dignitaries, many of whom had dealt with each other during more stressful diplomatic and political times, smiled and chatted in the aisles and across the pews. All had come to celebrate the life of Ronald Reagan. Meanwhile at the rotunda of the United States capitol, former first lady Nancy Reagan approached the casket where her husband's body lain in state since Wednesday evening. Then a military guard lifted the casket and began the slow procession to the hearse for the procession to the National Cathedral. It's estimated that 105,000 people visited the rotunda to pay their respects to the former president. And by the time the funeral procession began to wind its way through the streets of Washington en route to the cathedral, the invited guests inside had taken their seats in anticipation of its arrival. A short time later, the procession drew to the front of the cathedral for a funeral service that had been planned well in advance, and down to the minute, all according to the historical and military tradition for state funerals, and in close consultation with the Reagan family. First there was a brief ceremony on the cathedral steps. (Music playing ) Afterwards, the casket was carried inside and down the aisle at a deliberate pace. Former Missouri Senator John Danforth, an Episcopal minister, began the service with a prayer.

REV. JOHN DANFORTH: I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.

KWAME HOLMAN: In planning for his funeral, President Reagan himself had selected those he wished to speak at the service. Among them was Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who was nominated by President Reagan. She read from John Winthrop's 1630 sermon to the pilgrims that inspired President Reagan's description of America asa shining "city upon a hill."

SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR: Now the only way to provide for our posterity is to follow counsel of Micah, to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God. We must delight in each other, make others' conditions our own, rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work, as members of the same body. The Lord will be our God, and delight will dwell among us, as His own people, for we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world.

KWAME HOLMAN: Former British Prime Minster Margaret Thatcher was a close friend of President Reagan's. Thatcher, who has suffered a series of small strokes, previously videotaped her tribute to Mr. Reagan.

LADY MARGARET THATCHER: We have lost a great president, a great American and a great man. And I have lost a dear friend. In his lifetime, Ronald Reagan was such a cheerful and invigorating presence that it was easy to forget what daunting historic tasks he set himself. He sought to mend America's wounded spirit, to restore the strength of the free world, and to free the slaves of communism. These were causes hard to accomplish and heavy with risk, yet they were pursued with almost a lightness of spirit. For Ronald Reagan also embodied another great cause, what Arnold Bennett once called "the great cause of cheering us all up." His politics had a freshness and optimism that won converts from every class and every nation, and ultimately from the very heart of the evil empire. Yet his humor often had a purpose beyond humor. In the terrible hours after the attempt on his life, his easy jokes gave reassurance to an anxious world. They were evidence that in the aftermath of terror and in the midst of hysteria, one great heart at least remained sane and jocular. They were truly grace under pressure. And perhaps they signified grace of a deeper kind. Ronnie himself certainly believed that he had been given back his life for a purpose. As he told a priest after his recovery: "Whatever time I've got left now belongs to the big 'fella upstairs." And surely it is hard to deny that Ronald Reagan's life was providential when we look at what he achieved in the eight years that followed. Others prophesied the decline of the west; he inspired America and its allies with renewed faith in their mission of freedom. Others saw only limits to growth; he transformed a stagnant economy into an engine of opportunity. Others hoped, at best, for an uneasy cohabitation with the Soviet Union; he won the Cold War, not only without firing a shot, but also by inviting enemies out of their fortress and turning them into friends. I cannot imagine how any diplomat or any dramatist could improve on his words to Mikhail Gorbachev at the Geneva summit: "Let me tell you why it is we distrust you." Those words are candid and tough, and they cannot have been easy to hear. But they are also a clear invitation to a new beginning and a new relationship that would be rooted in trust. Ronald Reagan knew his own mind. He had firm principles, and, I believe, right ones. He expounded them clearly. He acted upon them decisively. For the final years of his life, Ronnie's mind was clouded by illness. That cloud has now lifted. He is himself again-- more himself than at any time on this earth. For we may be sure that the big 'fella upstairs never forgets those who remember him. And as the last journey of this faithful pilgrim took him beyond the sunset, and as heaven's morning broke, I like to think, in the words of Bunyan, that "all the trumpets sounded on the other side." We here still move in twilight. But we have one beacon to guide us that Ronald Reagan never had. We have his example. Let us give thanks today for a life that achieved so much for all of God's children.

KWAME HOLMAN: Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, also a close friend of the Reagan's, spoke next.

BRIAN MULRONEY: In the spring of 1987, President Reagan and I were driven into a large hangar at the Ottawa Airport to await the arrival of Mrs. Reagan and my wife, Mila, prior to departure ceremonies for their return to Washington. We were alone, except for the security details. President Reagan's visit had been important, demanding and successful. Our discussions reflected the international agenda of the times: The nuclear threat posed by the Soviet Union and the missile deployment by NATO; pressures on the Warsaw Pact; challenges resulting from the Berlin Wall and the ongoing separation of Germany; and bilateral and hemispheric free trade. President Reagan had spoken to parliament, handled complex files with skill and good humor, strongly impressing his Canadian hosts. And here we were, waiting for our wives. When their car drove in a moment later, out stepped Nancy and Mila, looking like a million bucks. And as they headed towards us, President Reagan beamed. He threw his arm around my shoulder and he said, with a grin, "you know, Brian, for two Irishmen we sure married up." In that visit, in that moment, one saw the quintessential Ronald Reagan: The leader we respected, the neighbor we admired, and the friend we loved; the president of the United States of America, whose truly remarkable life we celebrate in this magnificent cathedral today. Ronald Reagan does not enter history tentatively. He does so with certainty and panache. At home and on the world stage, he possessed a rare and prized gift called leadership that ineffable and magical quality that sets some men and women apart so that millions will follow them as they conjure up grand visions and invite their countrymen to dream big and exciting dreams. I always thought that President Reagan's understanding of the nobility of the presidency coincided with that American dream. I have been truly blessed to have been a friend of Ronald Reagan. I am grateful that our paths crossed and that our lives touched. I shall always remember him with the deepest admiration and affection. And I will always feel honored by the journey that we traveled together in search of better and more peaceful tomorrows for all God's children everywhere. And so in the presence of his beloved and indispensable Nancy, his children, his family and his friends, and all of the American people that he so deeply revered, I say au revoir today to a gifted leader, an historic president, and a gracious human being. And I do so with a line from Yeats, who wrote, "Think where man's glory most begins and ends, and say my glory was that I had such friends."

KWAME HOLMAN: Former President George Bush, Mr. Reagan's vice president during both terms, delivered a personal and emotional remembrance, mixing humor with a serious tone.

GEORGE BUSH: Why was he so admired? Why was he so beloved? He was beloved first because of what he was. Politics can be cruel, uncivil. Our friend was strong and gentle. Once he called America "hopeful," "big-hearted," "idealistic," "daring," "decent" and "fair." That was America. And, yes, our friend. If Ronald Reagan created a better world for many millions, it was because of the world someone else created for him. Nancy was there for him always. Her love for him provided much of his strength. And their love together transformed all of us as we've seen renewed, seeing again here in the last few days. And one of the many memories we all have of both of them is they provided during our national tragedies. Whether it was the families of the crew of the "challenger" shuttle, or the U.S.S. "Stark," or the marines killed in Beirut, we will never forget those images of the president and first lady embracing them and embracing us during times of sorrow. So, Nancy, I want to say this to you: Today America embraces you. We open up our arms, we seek to comfort you, to tell you of our admiration for your courage and your selfless caring. And to the Reagan kids: It's okay for me to say that at 80-- Michael, Ron and Patti, today all of our sympathy, all of our condolences to you all. And remember, too, your sister, Maureen, home safe now with her father. As his vice president for eight years, I learned more from Ronald Reagan than from anyone I encountered in all my years of public life. I learned kindness-- we all did. I also learned courage-- the nation did. Who can forget the horrible day in March, 1981, he looked at the doctors in the emergency room and said, "I hope you're all Republicans." (Laughter) And then I learned decency-- the whole world did. Days after being shot, weak from wounds, he spilled water from a sink, and entering the hospital room, aides saw him on hands and knees wiping water from the floor. He worried that his nurse would get in trouble. The good book says humility goes before honor, and our friend had both, and who could not cherish such a man? And perhaps as important as anything, I learned about a lot about humor, a lot about laughter. And, oh, how President Reagan loved a good story. When asked, "How did your visit go with bishop tutu?" He replied, "so-so." (Laughter) And it was typical. It was wonderful. And in leaving... in leaving the White House, the very last day he left in the yard outside the Oval Office door a little sign for the squirrels. He loved to feed those squirrels. And he left this sign that said, "Beware of the dog," and to no avail, because our dog Millie came in and beat the heck out of the squirrels. But anyway, he also left me a note, at the top of which said, "Don't let the turkeys get you down." Well, he certainly never let him get him down, and he fought hard for his beliefs. But he lived conviction, but never made an adversary into an enemy. He was never mean-spirited. Reverend Billy Graham, who I refer to as the nation's pastor, is now hospitalized and regrets that he can't be here today. And I asked him for a bible passage that might be appropriate, and he suggested this from Psalm 37. "The Lord delights in the way of the man whose steps he has made firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the lord upholds him with his hand." And then this, too, from 37. "There is a future for the man of peace." God bless you, Ronald Wilson Reagan, and the nation you loved and led so well.

KWAME HOLMAN: President George W. Bush delivered the last of the four eulogies.

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: We lost Ronald Reagan only days ago, but we have missed him for a long time. We have missed his kindly presence, that reassuring voice and the happy ending we had wished for him. It has been ten years since he said his own farewell, yet it is still very sad and hard to let him go. Ronald Reagan belongs to the ages now, but we preferred it when he belonged to us. The qualities all of us have seen in Ronald Reagan were first spotted 70 and 80 years ago. As the lifeguard in Lowell Park, he was the protector, keeping an eye out for trouble. As a sports announcer on the radio, he was the friendly voice that made you see the game as he did. As an actor, he was the handsome, all-American good guy, which, in his case, required knowing his lines and being himself. Along the way, certain convictions were formed and fixed in the man. Ronald Reagan believed that everything happens for a reason, and that we should strive to know and do the will of God. He believed that the gentleman always does the kindest thing. He believed that people were basically good and had the right to be free. He believed that bigotry and prejudice were the worst things a person could be guilty of. He believed in the golden rule and in the power of prayer. He believed that America was not just a place in the world, but the hope of the world. And he believed in taking a break now and then, because, as we said, there's nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse. He came to office with great hopes for America, and more than hopes. Like the president he had revered and once saw in person, Franklin Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan matched an optimistic temperament with bold, persistent action. President Reagan was optimistic about the great promise of economic reform, and he acted to restore the rewards and spirit of enterprise. He was optimistic that a strong America could advance the peace, and he acted to build the strength that mission required. He was optimistic that liberty would thrive wherever it was planted, and he acted to defend liberty wherever it was threatened. And Ronald Reagan believed in the power of truth in the conduct of world affairs. When he saw evil camped across the horizon he called that evil by its name. Ronald Reagan carried himself, even in the most powerful office, with the decency and attention to small kindnesses that also define a good life. He was a courtly, gentle and considerate man, never known to slight or embarrass others. Many people across the country cherish letters he wrote in his own hand to family members on important occasions, to old friends dealing with sickness and loss, to strangers with questions about his days in Hollywood. A boy once wrote to him requesting federal assistance to help clean up his bedroom. The president replied that, unfortunately, funds are dangerously low. He continued: "I'm sure your mother was fully justified in proclaiming your room a disaster, therefore you are in an excellent position to launch another volunteer program in our nation. Congratulations." See, our 40th president wore his title lightly, and it fit like a white Stetson. In the end, through his belief in our country and his love for our country, he became an enduring symbol of our country. We think of the steady stride, that tilt of the head and snap of the salute, the big-screen smile, and the glint in his Irish eyes when a story came to mind. We think of a man advancing in years with the sweetness and sincerity of a scout saying the pledge. We think of that grave expression that sometimes came over his face, the seriousness of a man angered by injustice and frightened by nothing. We know, as he always said, that America's best days are ahead of us. But with Ronald Reagan's passing, some very fine days are behind us, and that is worth our tears. Americans saw death approach Ronald Reagan twice, in a moment of violence and then in the years of departing light. He met both with courage and grace. In these trials, he showed how a man so enchanted by life can be at peace with life's end. And where does that strength come from? Where is that courage learned? It is the faith of a boy who read the bible with his mom. It is the faith of a man lying in an operating room who prayed for the one who shot him before he prayed for himself. It is the faith of a man with a fearful illness who waited on the Lord to call him home. Now death has done all that death can do, and as Ronald Wilson Reagan goes his way, we are left with the joyful hope he shared. In his last years, he saw through a glass darkly. Now he sees his savior face to face. And we look for that fine day when we will see him again, all weariness gone, clear of mind, strong and sure and smiling again, and the sorrow of this parting gone forever. May God bless Ronald Reagan and the country he loved.

KWAME HOLMAN: Reverend Danforth delivered the homily, which included readings from the New Testament's sermon on the mount, President Reagan's favorite biblical theme.

REV. JOHN DANFORTH: May I speak in the name of one God who created us, who redeemed us. Amen. This is a service about Ronald Reagan and it is a religious service. We've gathered to celebrate the life of a great president in a church where believers profess their faith. So this is not only about a person, but about faith, and the homily is the place to connect the two. For President Reagan, the text is obvious. It's from the sermon on the mount. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid." It was his favorite theme from his first inaugural address to his final address from the Oval Office. For him, America was the shining city on a hill. His immediate source was the sermon preached by John Winthrop, just read by Justice O'Connor. Winthrop believed that the eyes of the world would be on America because God had given us a special commission, so it was our duty to shine forth. The Winthrop message became the Reagan message. It rang of optimism. And we longed to hear it, especially after the dark years of Vietnam and Watergate. It was a vision with policy implications. America could not hide its light under a bushel. It could not turn in on itself and hunker down. Isolationism was not an option. Neither was protectionism. We must champion freedom everywhere. We must be the beacon for the world. What Ronald Reagan asked of America, he gave of himself. The great American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr wrote: "The children of light and the children of darkness." If ever we have known a child of light, it was Ronald Reagan. He was aglow with it. He had no dark side, no scary hidden agenda. What you saw was what you got, and what you saw was that sure sign of inner light, the twinkle in the eye." He was not consumed by himself. He didn't need to be president to be a complete person. The only thing he really needed was to be with his wife. Mrs. Reagan, you shared him with us, and for that, we will always be grateful. He shined the light, but not upon himself. His most challenging task came on the day he was shot. He wrote in his diary of struggling for breath and of praying. "I realized I couldn't ask for God's help while at the same time I felt hatred for the mixed-up young man who shot me," he wrote. "Isn't that the meaning of the lost sheep? We are all God's children and therefore equally loved by him. So I began to pray for his soul and that he would find his way back to the fold." In this service of worship, we celebrate the life of a great president, and we profess the resurrection faith of this church. It is faith in God's victory over darkness. It is faith in the ultimate triumph of light. We believe in this victory every day of our lives. We believe it as individuals, we believe it as a nation. There is no better time to celebrate the triumph of light than in a service for Ronald Reagan. Amen.

KWAME HOLMAN: The funeral service was rich with music, highlighted by the singing of Franz Schubert's "Amazing Grace" by Irish tenor Ronan Tynan.

MAN (singing): A grace that cause my heart to feel and graced my fear the precious deed what I believe the Lord has promised you to me he wore my shield and poison me as long, as life endures --

KWAME HOLMAN: The service lasted just over 90 minutes, and concluded with simply prayers and a blessing before the casket was taken away.

REV. JOHN DANFORTH: Receive him into the arms of thy mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light.

SPOKESPERSON: Amen.

KWAME HOLMAN: As the casket was placed back inside the hearse, the bells in the cathedral towers began to chime 40 times, in recognition of the 40th president of the United States. (Church bells ringing) (church bells ringing )

KWAME HOLMAN: President Reagan's body then was taken immediately to Andrew's Air Force base to begin the final journey back to California and the private burial service at the presidential library.

FOCUS - SHIELDS & BROOKS

JIM LEHRER: Now, some thoughts about today as well as the week and the legacy of Ronald Reagan from Shields and Brooks, syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks. Mark, how would you describe the meeting, not only of today but of this whole week of and about Ronald Reagan?

MARK SHIELDS: Well, Jim, there are only two American presidents who voted four times for Franklin Roosevelt and once for Harry Truman, they were Ronald Reagan and Harry Truman. And David McCullough wrote of Harry Truman and he said - in his book - and he said, Harry Truman was comfortable being Harry Truman. He liked being Harry Truman. He never thought of being anybody else but Harry Truman. I think that came through about Ronald Reagan to people. The outpouring, they saw in somebody who was very, very comfortable with who he was. There was an authenticity about him. I mean, it just struck me in a very sort of trite way, but the presidential vacation, we've all seen presidential vacations where it's so much more presidential than they were vacation. The president is somewhere and aides fly in, in blue suits and red ties, and they brief him because the president can never really be relaxing. Ronald Reagan took a real vacation. I mean, he went out there and he cleared brush off trails. There must be enough brush somewhere to provide energy for the state of California well into the 22nd century. He really did. And there was an authenticity about him. Finally, I'll just say, remembering him and seeing the highlight films all week, the conservative movement did not have a face, it did not have a smiling face. It had Bob Taft, Calvin Coolidge. The liberals had Jack Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt. Ronald Reagan put a smiling face on conservatism and he changed conservatism from it's five minutes until midnight until it's five minutes until dawn. That was a big, big difference.

JIM LEHRER: What would you add to that?

DAVID BROOKS: First, I would agree with that last point about his effect on conservatism. I think this week was a chance for all Americans, Republicans and Democrats, to reconnect with the American dream. I mean, here's a kid who grew up in Illinois, went to California, became a movie star then became president, devoted one of the greatest evils in the 20th century. That's a pretty good American dream story. And the second thing I think that happened that was also a cultural moment rather than a political moment was I think there was a feeling that a certain set of values, in recession, the desire that Reagan embodied, the desire to cling on those gallantry, gallantry under fire, when he was shot, romance, romance for his wife, romance of the glory day of Hollywood, and a certain cleanness to his life. The elder President Bush told a story today about the note Reagan left on the desk when the elder Bush succeeded him, and the note said, "Don't let the turkeys get you down." I was struck by the word "turkey" because another president might have used a rougher word, but Reagan had an essential cleanness about him that one associates with the Depression era, the optimism and the all-Americanness of it. I think we feel that might be slipping away.

JIM LEHRER: Do you agree with that, Mark, that this was a cultural event as much as it was a political event, I mean, the life and legacy and this tribute to Ronald Reagan?

MARK SHIELDS: Well, Yes, in the sense, Jim, that it does... Ronald Reagan scored two landslide victories over Democrats, 44 states in 1980, 49 states he carried in 1984. There was none of the bitterness and resentment after those defeats that there is today.

JIM LEHRER: Why -- Why not?

MARK SHIELDS: I think we can look at reasons.

JIM LEHRER: Sure, but in terms of Ronald Reagan the individual?

MARK SHIELDS: Ronald Reagan didn't, I mean, I disagree strenuously with his policies. I thought Reaganomics was disaster. I mean, it was... tax cuts for the well off and budget cuts for the not-well-off. If you didn't have your money, it's because the damn poor people are hording it somewhere. There was about him an absence of any meanness. His opponents were his adversaries. They were not enemies ever. That was the Reagan style. I mean, he really did reach across the isle in a way that was common in Washington at that time. There is a whole host of stories here, why it's happened, but he just did embody... he never demonized the opposition.

JIM LEHRER: Do you think, David, that part of the... one of the many reasons for this outpouring is a kind of longing for a return to that kind of politics?

DAVID BROOKS: A sense of national unity. It was bitter. I think until this Iraq War, I think the contra fight about the Nicaraguan contras was as bitter a little Washington fight that I've seen. It was bitter. The debate over Reaganomics was bitter. People did hate him. A lot of people hated him. I was in a college bookstore when he was shot and there was happiness around.

JIM LEHRER: Really? Is that right?

DAVID BROOKS: Yeah.

MARK SHIELDS: I didn't see that.

DAVID BROOKS: On the other hand, he never played in the feud. The feud was going on. He never played in the feud because he wasn't going to get sucked into the feud and he leapt above it, and I thought a lot of people took out of this week and this life story, he was an exemplar of how to conduct oneself in politics. It's possible to be bold. It's possible to have policies the other side strongly disagrees with, but as long as you grant the other side the good intentions, then that's the way to act. Not all of us lived up to that

JIM LEHRER: Is it unrealistic to think that this outpouring will lead to any change in the way we do politics today because of... someone may say, hey, look at Ronald Reagan, look at what he did and look at the tribute that was paid to him. Maybe I ought to rethink the way - I mean, I'm talking I meaning everybody who is in the political world now. That's just dream talk, right?

MARK SHIELDS: Yeah. Politics is the most imitated with the possible exception of political journalism, the most imitated of all human art forms and, you know, if people are reminded that someone that was that successful... I point out that there's only been one president in 40 years that won an election by more than 10 percentage points. We buried him today. We're now down to this likelihood, everyone is saying it's 51, 49. If John Kerry wins, can he govern at 51 percent, can George Bush govern if he wins at 50.7? Ronald Reagan showed that the way he adopted was successful politically. It wasn't just...

JIM LEHRER: It worked.

MARK SHIELDS: That's right. It was not simply being decent to other people or whatever or kind to your opponents. I mean, it was very successful politically.

JIM LEHRER: Decency as a political strategy. Could that possibly pick up?

DAVID BROOKS: You know, as Mark says, there are deep structural reasons why we have this polarization, the country is segmenting. The other thing that Reagan did was his policies actually did work. I mean, he inherited stagflation. He saw through a very tough and bitter recession when Paul Volcker, the Fed chairman, clamped down. He did confront communism. But at the end of the term it was clear that a lot of those things worked and the country was in much better shape. He won that second term in '84 because he said, "Are you better off than you were four years ago" -- and he was and the country felt it was, or at least a large percentage of the country felt they were. It was the ideological success of that mission which created the aura, the possibility of that majority and the good times.

JIM LEHRER: I have a hunch you don't agree with that.

MARK SHIELDS: No, I don't think... I think Ronald Reagan did accomplish much and he did restore the presidency. He repurchased American optimism. He did a number of important things, but the number of homeless people in the country increased. I think it became official public policy that governmental action on behalf of the poor was something that would best be left to the private sector. The irony, Jim, is this is a man who was enormously generous personally. He had great personal sympathy. I had the first one-on-one magazine interview with Ronald Reagan when he was president of the United States. Jim Brady called me. I went in for Inside Sports Magazine. I talked to Franklin Burkehart, who had been a teammate of Ronald Reagan's at tiny Eureka College, one of the two black players on the team. They were scheduled to play an away game 15 miles away from Ronald Reagan's home town. The coach went to the hotel, and the hotel, like all hotels in America 70 years ago, 75 years ago had a whites-only policy. So the coach said, we can sleep on the bus. Reagan said, no, he said, just tell them there's only room for some. I'll take the two players home. He... the coach said, "you can do that?". He walked right into his own home to Jack and Nelle Reagan, and this is a time when blacks and whites didn't eat together, didn't go to movies together. They spent the night there. I talked to Burkehart about it, who went on the get a doctorate at NYU, interesting man, I said, how do you explain him being opposed to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1965, which broke the yolk of segregation? He said, "I can't understand it. I know what he's like, but public policy doesn't translate."

JIM LEHRER: How does that strike you, Mark's story? The dichotomy between his personality generosity and what is perceived, particularly among liberal democrats, as being anything but generous?

DAVID BROOKS: I think once he became president the policies he adopted were policies he thought would lift all votes. When he talked about supply-side economics, that was a heroic movement; he talked about economics differently than other presidents, as a way to inspire the country, to revitalize the energy of the country and create more mobility in the country so people could rise as he did. And as a matter of fact, what happened is the poverty rate rose through the '70s. It plateaued in the '80s. It didn't get better but it didn't get worse. The recovery I think he helped create and Paul Volcker helped create did improve a lot of American lives.

JIM LEHRER: Finally, much has been said already this week about all of what this might do to George W. Bush's chances for reelection or John Kerry's chances to get elected. What do you think, I mean, talking about what we have witnessed and experienced this week?

MARK SHIELDS: I think if the election were next Tuesday, I think it would be very good for President Bush because...

JIM LEHRER: Why?

MARK SHIELDS: There is a sense of good-feeling in the country. He was part of this national ceremony. I don't think anybody in the first Tuesday or first Monday after - the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November will say, I was undecided until today but I'm going to win one for the Gipper here. I don't think that's going to happen. In a strange way, President Bush was on his comeback week a week ago, Jim. He was going to Europe. He was going to Normandy, D-Day. He was going to get the blessing of the U.N. on the vote in Iraq, have the G-8 summit. Instead of hearing him at Normandy, we heard Ronald Reagan - I mean, that eloquence that made the hair on the back of your neck stand up. I don't honestly know what George W. Bush said there. All we saw were highlight films of his eloquence, his humor, self-deprecating, his with -- his memorable leadership. I think in a strange way, it probably wasn't... a week that should have been so great for the president was eclipsed.

JIM LEHRER: How do you feel?

DAVID BROOKS: I don't think so. Well, first of all, if the Iraqi government is as serious as it seems to be, that will be the real rebound, the real rebound week, but I thought, first of all, Bush showed a few great qualities today. His little message there was self-effacing. He didn't go out of his way to wrap himself around Reagan or wrap Reagan around him. I thought he did a very nice little speech that did not go over the top but was understated and really was about Reagan rather than about Bush. I think that showed some personal virtue. At the same time, I do think what Reagan did -- standing up to communism, calling it evil, championing democracy around the world, was a legacy that Bush inherits much more than the elder Bush did, and something that he can feed off, that he can inspire. I do think there is a continuity between the two foreign policies.

JIM LEHRER: Well, as they say in journalism, only time will tell. Thank you both very much.

RECAP

JIM LEHRER: And before we go, the Iraq news of this day. Gunmen stormed a police station just south of Baghdad. The poorly armed police fled, and the attackers blew up the building. Elsewhere, fistfights broke out in Najaf between protesters and Shiite gunmen loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr. It began when hundreds of people marched on a Shiite holy site. They were protesting an attack yesterday on a police station there. The gunmen blocked their path, touching off scuffles. A top South Korean official general said today his country will send 3,000 more troops to northern Iraq by late August. They'll be joined by 600 troops already in Iraq. South Korea canceled plans to send the additional force last April, after a surge in violence across Iraq. Also today, the Dutch government voted to keep its 1,400 troops in Iraq for another eight months. The U.S. Army is investigating the death of an Iraqi man last month. U.S. troops raided his Baghdad home after he boasted he'd murdered an American soldier. The army said he was shot when he allegedly tried to grab a weapon during the raid. Also today, the Washington Post reported U.S. Military Intelligence officers authorized the use of unmuzzled police dogs to intimidate Iraqi prisoners. That report cited sworn statements by military dog handlers at the Abu Ghraib Prison. A reminder: Washington Week can be seen on most PBS stations later this evening. We'll see you online, and again here Monday evening. Have a nice weekend. I'm Jim Lehrer, thank you and good night.