President Obama marks Ronald Reagan's centennial birth

2011-02-07 10:46:21 GMT+7 (ICT)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- President Barack Obama on Sunday celebrated the centennial year of former President Ronald Reagan's birth.

Obama described Reagan as "a believer," who as a husband, a father, an entertainer, a governor and a president, "recognized that each of us has the power – as individuals and as a nation – to shape our own destiny."

"No matter what political disagreements you may have had with President Reagan – and I certainly had my share – there is no denying his leadership in the world, or his gift for communicating his vision for America," Obama added, highlighting Reagan's ability to work despite any conflicts between parties and political adversaries.

The President underlined Reagan's "sense of confidence and optimism," which transcended the most heated political arguments. "At a time when our nation was going through an extremely difficult period, with economic hardship at home and very real threats beyond our borders," Obama continued, "it was this positive outlook, this sense of pride, that the American people needed more than anything."

"When the future looked darkest and the way ahead seemed uncertain, President Reagan understood both the hardships we faced and the hopes we held for the future," Obama concluded. "He understood that it is always 'Morning in America.' That was his gift, and we remain forever grateful."

Ronald Wilson Reagan, from Whiteside County, Illinois, and a former Hollywood actor, was the 40th U.S. President and served from 1981 to 1989. He was also the 33rd Governor of California from 1967 to 1975. In 1994, only four years after finishing his second term as President, Reagan revealed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He died ten years later at the age of 93.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-02-07

Obama has given up on trying to be Lincoln. Now he's going to become Reagan.

Funny I thought he was going for FDR.