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American Morning
Remembering Ronald Reagan
Aired June 06, 2004 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CO-HOST: Good morning, everyone. On this Sunday morning, a special edition of "AMERICAN MORNING. Good to have you along with us today.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Across the United States Americans are waking up with a heavy heart as they remember Ronald Wilson Reagan. The 40th president of the United States died yesterday at the age of 93 at his home in Los Angeles.
HEMMER: At the White House, a live picture now, flags at half- staff in honor of the former president. President Bush in Europe ordering all flags at all federal facilities to stay at half-staff for the next 30 days.
In southern California this is Ronald Reagan's presidential library, the sun coming up there at dawn. You see the flags also lowered to half-staff.
O'BRIEN: Funeral plans for President Reagan are being made on both sides of the country. Sometime in the next day or so -- we're not exactly sure of the exact time -- Mr. Reagan's body will be taken to his library in Simi Valley, California.
Then later in the week, probably Tuesday night, his body will be flown to Washington.
HEMMER: House Speaker Dennis Hastert telling CNN, also traveling in Normandy today, right now the plan is for the former president's body to lie in state at the capitol rotunda on Wednesday and possibly Thursday, as well, according to John King in Paris.
Funeral services for Mr. Reagan expected on Friday at the national cathedral. Then the former president's body will be laid to rest in Simi Valley back at his library there.
President Bush, again, was in Paris late last night when he learned of Ronald Reagan's death, saying -- I'm quoting now -- "A great American life has just come to an end." The president offered condolences to Nancy Reagan and the Reagan family, struggling for the past 10 years with Ronald Reagan and his Alzheimer's.
John King, our senior White House correspondent, live in Paris with more from there -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Bill, Mr. Bush had received a heads up as he traveled to France from Italy that Ronald Reagan's health had deteriorated to the point where the family believed his death was imminent.
So the news, tragic as it was, not so much of a surprise for President Bush when his chief of staff woke him last night a little after 10 p.m. here in Paris to tell him the 40th president of the United States had, indeed, died back at his home in California.
Mr. Bush sticking with his schedule today, attending the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of D-Day, the landings by Allied forces on the beaches here in Normandy, France.
Mr. Bush sticking to that schedule, paying tribute to Mr. Reagan in his remarks, also paying tribute to some of the surviving veterans of the D-Day landing, who were with him for the ceremonies today.
Last night Mr. Bush delivered a statement as well, and it was in that statement that Mr. Bush focused more on what he believes was Ronald Reagan's great strength, his humor and the courage of his convictions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: Ronald Reagan won America's respect with his greatness and won its love with his goodness. He had the confidence that comes with conviction, the strength that comes with character, the grace that comes with humility, and the humor that comes with wisdom. He leaves behind a nation he restored and a world he helped save.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Mr. Bush heads home now in part to host an international summit in Sea Island, Georgia, but also to prepare to preside over the funeral and the memorial service for Ronald Reagan, that state funeral that will be held later in the week in Washington, D.C.
White House officials are telling us they believe the funeral itself will be on Friday. And as you noted, the body of Ronald Reagan coming to Washington either Tuesday night or Wednesday, most likely on Tuesday.
It is an interesting moment for this president. He is, of course, the son of a president, George Herbert Walker Bush, but often, much more often compared in terms of political affinity and style to Ronald Reagan.
Both realized a unified Republican Party by pushing tax cuts, by talking about a strong American defense. Both presidents in their first term, President Reagan and this President Bush, also quite controversial, here where Mr. Bush is today in Europe, Mr. Bush paying tribute today and again last night.
And Bill, it was Mr. Bush who ordered the flags flown at half- staff at the White House and all federal buildings for 30 days. He now prepares to head home to join in the mourning and the funeral proceedings in Washington -- Bill.
HEMMER: As you point out, many of those world leaders in this country for the G-8 summit.
Thank you, John. John King there live in Paris, France -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Just moments ago we heard John mention, in fact, the funeral in Washington, D.C., also private services for the family members will be held on the West Coast.
Anderson Cooper is at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Los Angeles this morning for us. Anderson, good morning again.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": Good morning, Soledad.
We are now anticipating that President Reagan will return here perhaps late tonight, maybe as late as tomorrow morning. We do not have official word yet. We are anticipating some sort of a press conference around noontime, when there will be some sort of statement from the family. It is up to the family to decide the details at this stage of the journey.
What we are hearing, though, is that the body of President Reagan may lie in repose here at the presidential library for as much as 48 hours straight, allowing the public some time to come pay their respects, pay their condolences.
The library is closed today, but if the plan goes to what we are thinking it's at this point, the library would be open tomorrow, receiving visitors for those 48 hours.
Ted Rowlands is standing by at the mortuary in Santa Monica where President Reagan's body is now.
Ted, good morning.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Anderson.
When President Reagan's body arrived here yesterday afternoon, hundreds of people were outside the mortuary here in Santa Monica, here to pay tribute.
And there has been a steady stream of people from around the Los Angeles area coming here, adding flowers to a memorial which has grown throughout the night, and paying their respects to former President Reagan.
We are understanding that we will get firm details as to the schedule, short and long, if you will, for the next week.
At noon today outside of the mortuary, the chief of staff for President Reagan will come out and address the media. We've been told that first a statement from the family will be read, and then they will answer questions.
The Reagan staff was here well into the night, about 2 a.m. A large group of staff members went into the mortuary for a walk- through, and some of those folks had come from across the country. They paid respects to President Reagan in their own right, in their own way, spending a considerable time inside before leaving in the wee hours.
They are expected to be back here this morning. More people are expected to be back here, as well, from the community to add to this growing memorial -- Anderson.
COOPER: Ted, thanks very much for that.
In life President Reagan made a tremendous journey from a small town in Illinois to Hollywood to the halls of power. His journey continues over the next several days. We'll continue to cover it -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Anderson, thanks.
CNN senior political correspondent Candy Crowley covered the White House while President Reagan was in office. She saw the man at work. She's live for us this morning in Washington, D.C.
Candy, good morning. Nice to see you.
You know, it's been interesting to hear some of the same words over and over in descriptions of President Reagan: optimistic, confident, an ideologue who is willing to compromise. In some ways a man of much paradox. Do you think that's fair to say?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. I mean, there was a lot about Ronald Reagan that we knew and some that we didn't know.
There was sort of this part of him that you always kind of wondered, you know, what is he really thinking? There was a part of him that was quite private.
And he did -- he was sort of this mix of things. He was pragmatic. When you say conservative, yes, he, in fact, had some very conservative policies and politics.
On the other hand, this was a man that was very in tune with almost any walk of life, having come from Dixon, Illinois. He was -- he was very open, particularly in person. I think he came across in person as such an open, warm -- he was interesting and interested. He was -- he wanted to know about you. He wanted to know where you came from. It was that sort of thing.
And he actually had been through so many phases in his life before he got to the White House. He had great stories, loved to tell stories, and he was very gentlemanly.
I was talking -- I know you're having Congressman Dreier from California on a little bit later. I was talking to him in the green room this morning, and I said, "Did you ever hear Reagan tell an off- color joke?"
He said, "Oh, yes." And the fact of the matter is that, as an old school gentleman, Ronald Reagan, when women were around, was very much the gentleman. I never heard him say a curse word. I never heard one of those off- color jokes. Though I knew that when the men were reporters were around and alone with him, that he would share those sorts of stories.
But he was a very old school kind of a gentleman's gentleman when it came to women. I mentioned last night and it's very true, he found it very hard to ignore the questions of women reporters. It somehow seemed rude to him, whereas he could sort of brush off the male reporters, had a tough time doing that with females, so you had sort of an edge if you could get his attention.
O'BRIEN: So then how did he get along overall with the press and not just the female reporters, but with all the press? Did he have a good working relationship or some have described him as aloof, for all his warmness with real people?
CROWLEY: Distant. You know, the relationship between any president and the White House press necessarily is distant. We're -- we're never the first priority of a president.
He was -- there was always, as I say, a part of him that was away from you, for as cordial as he was, it wasn't especially personal with reporters.
And he was -- and he did not give all that many news conferences. He was not -- you know, you see all those famous Ronald Reagan hand over his ear as he went to the helicopter saying, "I can't hear you. I can't hear you." Didn't give a lot of those off the cuff things.
And we saw him in, you know, giving speeches. He did give interviews, but they generally were one on one or, you know, a couple of reporters.
So it was a distant relationship and not a lot of back and forth. I don't -- wouldn't -- on Air Force One flying with him places he didn't wander back, you know, and sit around and talk. He stayed up in the front and did his president thing.
But so I wouldn't say it was warm and friendly. Certainly not kind of Clintonesque in that he -- you know, during the campaign certainly President Clinton was, you know, played cards with reporters. Ronald Reagan was not that sort of president.
O'BRIEN: There are enough people we've heard today who say they disagreed completely with his politics and yet respected and in some cases revered the man. I find that so unusual. Explain that.
CROWLEY: Well, different time, different man. Things have certainly -- he came -- you know, Ronald Reagan came out of or came into Washington when -- right after the Iran hostage crisis. In fact, on his inauguration was the day that, in fact, it was announced that they were going to be freed.
You know, Republicans, their last kind of bout was with Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. He came in as this big, open, expansive westerner. He was very open to having the other party in.
I think yesterday John Kerry mentioned that, you know, after hours, the president was quite happy to sit down with Democratic rivals and he was, in fact, just another person who loved America.
So he was just that kind of charming guy. I mean presidencies are so shaped by the personalities of the people that sit in the Oval Office, and the personality of this man was charming, warm, open, guarded but certainly a warm -- a guy -- I mean, a person would welcome you into his home and sit down and make you feel comfortable, and that crossed party lines.
So it was -- certainly was a different time and I certainly fought him tooth and nail on any number of things, tax cuts, program cuts, as he attempted to bring the government, as he said, under control to make it smaller.
And so there was a lot of that. But in the end, even when he won he was gracious about it, and people didn't seem to hold it against him because he was so dang charming.
O'BRIEN: A reporter's recollections. Candy, thanks a lot. Appreciate it.
HEMMER: Candy mentioned him. Republican Congressman David Dreier represents the area of California where Ronald Reagan spent the last years of his life. He was first elected to Congress that same year, 1980 the same year President Reagan was elected president.
David Dreier is a guest now from D.C.
Good to see you. Good morning to you.
REP. DAVID DREIER (R), CALIFORNIA: Always good to be with you both.
Let me begin by saying that I was trying my doggone-est to be Reaganesque, and I did not share any of Ronald Reagan's off-color stories with Candy.
HEMMER: Duly noted. Duly noted.
Take me prior to November of 1980. What was your impression of Ronald Reagan as a man before he won the highest office?
DREIER: Bill, I was trying to remember exactly when I first had the chance to meet Ronald Reagan, and it was when I was a college student at Claremont McKenna College, and he inspired me.
And as Candy was talking there, I was thinking about the quality that comes to mind, and this is a guy who was constantly very optimistic. He was a glass half full sort of guy. And I never knew him to be down or depressed. He was always very, very buoyed by almost everything.
And that's what I found when I first met him, when I was in college in the mid 1970s. And he encouraged me to run for the Congress, and I was actually in the dormitory. And (AUDIO GAP) school and he was one of the people I spoke to about it.
And I ran in 1978 and he campaigned for me. Mrs. Reagan campaigned for me, as well. And I lost my election in 1978. And as I look back on it, I'm happy that I did, because I had the thrill of running again and campaigning with Ronald Reagan and coming to the Congress the same day that he was elected president of the United States.
And I mean, I put it, Bill, very simply, Ronald Reagan changed the world. And he changed it economically. He clearly, as we all know, brought down the Berlin Wall, brought an end to the Soviet Union.
And he created this sense of optimism. I mean, remember Jimmy Carter's line, the United States of America was in a state of malaise, and that's why people wanted hope. And this is a guy who had that throughout his entire life.
HEMMER: We are going to hear an awful lot of his best-known speeches over the next week.
What do you think it is about Ronald Reagan that helped him understand the power of the spoken word when it's delivered in way that's communicated to people where they can grab on to that -- maybe a phrase or a certain inflection that he adds? What was it about his ability to make a speech that drew people in?
We heard earlier today people saying oftentimes he would -- he would barely speak over a whisper but did not need to, did not speak at a great tone or a great level, because he could draw people in. Explain it to us?
DREIER: It was, obviously a lifelong ability, and it goes back to his days as a sportscaster and then his time, you know, in motion pictures and television.
And so he made no bones about the fact that he was an actor, and I think that was a wonderful skill that helped him in doing exactly what you were just describing, the fact that he was able to take complex ideas and put them very cogently.
And yet one of the great things that we found that's been made public, something that many of us knew, was that he really did spend a lot of time thinking deeply about a wide range of issues, and this has come forward in the letters and notes that he has taken.
But at the same time, Bill, he had this capability to put things so extraordinarily well and in understandable terms for the American people and the world.
I mean, I had lots of great personal times with him. I was just the other day looking at a book somebody showed me on pictures.
And I took a young boy who had been wounded by the Soviets in Afghanistan down to the Oval Office to meet with President Reagan. An I remember actually I was with him and told him about this boy, and he said, "David, would you bring him down to the Oval Office so that I could meet him?"
And within a couple of weeks we had an appointment set up and brought him down. And he was, just as Candy was saying, he was so warm and so kind and so understanding and appreciative of the sacrifice that people have made on behalf of the things we had as shared goals.
HEMMER: David Dreier, congressman from California, thank you.
DREIER: Always good to be with you, Bill.
HEMMER: You, as well. Thank you -- Soledad.
HEMMER: And Jack's here, checking in on what folks have to say. Good morning again.
JACK CAFFERTY, CO-HOST: How are you doing?
Off and on over the last 2 1/2 hours or so we kept hearing about how disarmingly charming Ronald Reagan could be. And that applied even to his political opponents.
And an example of the kind of thing people referred to is you want to get a debate going, bring up the subject of abortion. All you have to do is mention the word, and then people will line up on opposite sides of the room and try to kill each other.
Ronald Reagan said this one time about abortion. He said, "I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born."
And it was one of those disarmingly charming things that he could say. It stated his position just fine, but you couldn't really condemn him too much for it because of the way it was said. And a little glint in his eye.
One of the favorite memories that you have of President Reagan. Anthony in Ellicott City, Maryland, "I don't have the memory some will have regarding Reagan's presidency. I was still two months from my 11th birthday when he was inaugurated in 1981. Here are the things I remember: his tireless efforts to end the Cold War, including asking Mikhail Gorbachev to 'tear down this wall;' his self-deprecating humor and his humor in general; his stage presence; just the way he made America a better place to live in the 1980s."
Linda in Wolvern (ph), Massachusetts, "I'm a Democrat, but I voted for President Reagan twice. He was a great uniter. I remember how damn proud he made me feel to be an American."
And Cindi writes this: "As a teenager I can remember the fear of nuclear bombs and the horrid meaning of what could happen. When I was graduating from high school, President Reagan was making great strides to improve the world conditions and end the Cold War. I'm grateful. Because of him, I feel that our country and more importantly, our world, is safer. My son doesn't have to face the fear I felt as a young girl. And to President Reagan, I say thank you. And may your soul rest in peace."
O'BRIEN: Great feedback, I think, this morning. Really, really nice. Very touching. Thanks.
Thanks, Jack.
HEMMER: In a moment here, we'll get back to the uncanny knack to leave them laughing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REAGAN: ... an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Remember that one. Ronald Reagan using humor to disarm critics. In a moment, a look back at that.
O'BRIEN: And how would you rate the former president as a leader? Former General Electric CEO Jack Welch has strong feelings on that. He'll join us a little bit later this morning.
Stay with us. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REAGAN: What kind of people will we be 40 years from today? May we answer free people, worthy of freedom, and firm in the conviction that freedom is not the soul prerogative of a chosen few, but the universal right of all God's children.
This is the universal declaration of human rights, set forth in 1948, and this is the affirming flame the United States has held high to a watching world. We champion freedom, not only because it is practical and beneficial, but because it is morally right and just.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. That was former President Ronald Reagan speaking at the United Nations there.
When he was first sworn in as president, Ronald Reagan brought with him a wave of new economic policies, including massive deregulation, huge tax cuts and tight monetary policy.
That same year a young Jack Welch took over at a struggling General Electric, only to turn it into one of the nation's most successful companies.
Jack Welch joins us from Boston with his perspective on the Reagan years. Nice to see you, Jack. Good morning to you.
JACK WELCH, FORMER CEO, GENERAL ELECTRIC: Good morning, Soledad. How are you?
O'BRIEN: I'm well, thank you.
How did the markets and how did corporate America first respond and react when Ronald Reagan was first elected president?
WELCH: I think with curiosity, but because we were in terrible times.
I mean, people don't remember that inflation was 12 to 13 percent, the prime rate was roughly 20 percent, and unemployment, which we now talk about 5.5 percent and die over, was at 10 plus percent.
So it -- it was a time where all we thought about was being run over by the Japanese. We were down. As a prior speaker has said this weekend, Jimmy Carter had declared the country in malaise.
And so I think we along -- businessmen along with the rest of the country were a little scared. And this guy came in and rallied the troops, if you will.
O'BRIEN: Give me a sense of what his specific contributions were? I mean, what did he do literally to rally the troops?
WELCH: Well, his messages were always simple. I mean, in great leadership you get simple messages, and he epitomized that. Direct, we are a great country. Our greatest days are ahead of us.
He was one of the first people after Roosevelt to really understand that government doesn't make any money. Government only spends it. And in order to have a giving, kind society, you have to have winning companies.
And Ronald Reagan preached that, and he took the shackles off some of the regulations, allowed big bloated companies to deal with their overhead structures, to get more competitive in the global economy.
But he saw that fundamental underpinning that only winning companies have the resources to pay taxes, give back to the community, and provide the programs that government can have as safety nets. That has been lost.
O'BRIEN: Certainly, in your tenure -- in your life and in your tenure as the head of G.E., you met with numerous presidents and world leaders, as well. Give me a sense of what you thought of Ronald Reagan personally?
WELCH: He was just a regular guy next door. I mean, I had the luxury of being out with him in a very small dinner party at John McLaughlin's house. Eight people. And sitting around a redwood picnic table.
We had the streets blocked off and John McLaughlin's bedroom was all lined up with communications equipment for the situation room, but we were sitting on a redwood picnic table that I had when I was first married with a little awning on it, having a casual conversation. That was Charleston Heston and his wife, Ronald Reagan and his wife, eight people.
And the -- he expressed in the most simplistic way why we had to cut the incremental taxes -- load on America. He said, "When I did one movie, Jack, I'd get X. And then if they asked me to do another movie, they'd take 90 percent of the money from that second movie. There's no incentive in a system that does that."
That's how he explained his tax policy to me.
He wasn't nuanced, but he was direct. He knew what he wanted to do, and he stayed with it. He wasn't a particularly popular person with the media, because he wasn't sophisticated quite enough. He hasn't yet been recognized by historians appropriately because, quote, "He wasn't nuanced and sophisticated enough."
I mean, but this is -- this is what a real straightforward, western American told the world, and then he ended up doing it. It was a remarkable thing.
And America economically -- kids have gone to school, all kinds of things have happened because of what this man did. None of us may have predicted it when we first met him. I was appointed the same way he was.
O'BRIEN: A real leader. Jack Welch, the former chairman of G.E., nice to see you. Thanks for being with us.
WELCH: Thanks, Soledad.
HEMMER: Absolutely fascinating to listen to all the reaction we're gathering throughout the morning and again last evening, and much more expected throughout the day today.
A few moments ago the former president Bill Clinton shared his memories and thoughts with the news of Ronald Reagan passing at the age of 93.
Here is Bill Clinton a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I was sad and thought of the long struggle he had against Alzheimer's. I called Mrs. Reagan, and we reminisced a little bit about some of the times we shared in the 1980s when I was a young governor working with the Reagan White House on welfare reform.
When President Reagan left office, he had lunch with some of the governors in the summertime, because he was proud of having served. And we enjoyed that very much. I always liked being with him.
And even when we had our differences about domestic policy, the one thing I liked about him was that he was not mean-spirited. He was always optimistic about our country.
And he believed that freedom was a universal value, as I do. He believed that people everywhere wished to be free. And he believed that the Cold War would come to an end before most people did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: President -- Former President Bill Clinton outside of his home in Chappaqua, New York.
Clearly, this is the significant story of the day moving forward as we continue to gather more reaction throughout the morning into the afternoon.
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Aired June 6, 2004 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CO-HOST: Good morning, everyone. On this Sunday morning, a special edition of "AMERICAN MORNING. Good to have you along with us today.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Across the United States Americans are waking up with a heavy heart as they remember Ronald Wilson Reagan. The 40th president of the United States died yesterday at the age of 93 at his home in Los Angeles.
HEMMER: At the White House, a live picture now, flags at half- staff in honor of the former president. President Bush in Europe ordering all flags at all federal facilities to stay at half-staff for the next 30 days.
In southern California this is Ronald Reagan's presidential library, the sun coming up there at dawn. You see the flags also lowered to half-staff.
O'BRIEN: Funeral plans for President Reagan are being made on both sides of the country. Sometime in the next day or so -- we're not exactly sure of the exact time -- Mr. Reagan's body will be taken to his library in Simi Valley, California.
Then later in the week, probably Tuesday night, his body will be flown to Washington.
HEMMER: House Speaker Dennis Hastert telling CNN, also traveling in Normandy today, right now the plan is for the former president's body to lie in state at the capitol rotunda on Wednesday and possibly Thursday, as well, according to John King in Paris.
Funeral services for Mr. Reagan expected on Friday at the national cathedral. Then the former president's body will be laid to rest in Simi Valley back at his library there.
President Bush, again, was in Paris late last night when he learned of Ronald Reagan's death, saying -- I'm quoting now -- "A great American life has just come to an end." The president offered condolences to Nancy Reagan and the Reagan family, struggling for the past 10 years with Ronald Reagan and his Alzheimer's.
John King, our senior White House correspondent, live in Paris with more from there -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Bill, Mr. Bush had received a heads up as he traveled to France from Italy that Ronald Reagan's health had deteriorated to the point where the family believed his death was imminent.
So the news, tragic as it was, not so much of a surprise for President Bush when his chief of staff woke him last night a little after 10 p.m. here in Paris to tell him the 40th president of the United States had, indeed, died back at his home in California.
Mr. Bush sticking with his schedule today, attending the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of D-Day, the landings by Allied forces on the beaches here in Normandy, France.
Mr. Bush sticking to that schedule, paying tribute to Mr. Reagan in his remarks, also paying tribute to some of the surviving veterans of the D-Day landing, who were with him for the ceremonies today.
Last night Mr. Bush delivered a statement as well, and it was in that statement that Mr. Bush focused more on what he believes was Ronald Reagan's great strength, his humor and the courage of his convictions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: Ronald Reagan won America's respect with his greatness and won its love with his goodness. He had the confidence that comes with conviction, the strength that comes with character, the grace that comes with humility, and the humor that comes with wisdom. He leaves behind a nation he restored and a world he helped save.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Mr. Bush heads home now in part to host an international summit in Sea Island, Georgia, but also to prepare to preside over the funeral and the memorial service for Ronald Reagan, that state funeral that will be held later in the week in Washington, D.C.
White House officials are telling us they believe the funeral itself will be on Friday. And as you noted, the body of Ronald Reagan coming to Washington either Tuesday night or Wednesday, most likely on Tuesday.
It is an interesting moment for this president. He is, of course, the son of a president, George Herbert Walker Bush, but often, much more often compared in terms of political affinity and style to Ronald Reagan.
Both realized a unified Republican Party by pushing tax cuts, by talking about a strong American defense. Both presidents in their first term, President Reagan and this President Bush, also quite controversial, here where Mr. Bush is today in Europe, Mr. Bush paying tribute today and again last night.
And Bill, it was Mr. Bush who ordered the flags flown at half- staff at the White House and all federal buildings for 30 days. He now prepares to head home to join in the mourning and the funeral proceedings in Washington -- Bill.
HEMMER: As you point out, many of those world leaders in this country for the G-8 summit.
Thank you, John. John King there live in Paris, France -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Just moments ago we heard John mention, in fact, the funeral in Washington, D.C., also private services for the family members will be held on the West Coast.
Anderson Cooper is at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Los Angeles this morning for us. Anderson, good morning again.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": Good morning, Soledad.
We are now anticipating that President Reagan will return here perhaps late tonight, maybe as late as tomorrow morning. We do not have official word yet. We are anticipating some sort of a press conference around noontime, when there will be some sort of statement from the family. It is up to the family to decide the details at this stage of the journey.
What we are hearing, though, is that the body of President Reagan may lie in repose here at the presidential library for as much as 48 hours straight, allowing the public some time to come pay their respects, pay their condolences.
The library is closed today, but if the plan goes to what we are thinking it's at this point, the library would be open tomorrow, receiving visitors for those 48 hours.
Ted Rowlands is standing by at the mortuary in Santa Monica where President Reagan's body is now.
Ted, good morning.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Anderson.
When President Reagan's body arrived here yesterday afternoon, hundreds of people were outside the mortuary here in Santa Monica, here to pay tribute.
And there has been a steady stream of people from around the Los Angeles area coming here, adding flowers to a memorial which has grown throughout the night, and paying their respects to former President Reagan.
We are understanding that we will get firm details as to the schedule, short and long, if you will, for the next week.
At noon today outside of the mortuary, the chief of staff for President Reagan will come out and address the media. We've been told that first a statement from the family will be read, and then they will answer questions.
The Reagan staff was here well into the night, about 2 a.m. A large group of staff members went into the mortuary for a walk- through, and some of those folks had come from across the country. They paid respects to President Reagan in their own right, in their own way, spending a considerable time inside before leaving in the wee hours.
They are expected to be back here this morning. More people are expected to be back here, as well, from the community to add to this growing memorial -- Anderson.
COOPER: Ted, thanks very much for that.
In life President Reagan made a tremendous journey from a small town in Illinois to Hollywood to the halls of power. His journey continues over the next several days. We'll continue to cover it -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Anderson, thanks.
CNN senior political correspondent Candy Crowley covered the White House while President Reagan was in office. She saw the man at work. She's live for us this morning in Washington, D.C.
Candy, good morning. Nice to see you.
You know, it's been interesting to hear some of the same words over and over in descriptions of President Reagan: optimistic, confident, an ideologue who is willing to compromise. In some ways a man of much paradox. Do you think that's fair to say?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. I mean, there was a lot about Ronald Reagan that we knew and some that we didn't know.
There was sort of this part of him that you always kind of wondered, you know, what is he really thinking? There was a part of him that was quite private.
And he did -- he was sort of this mix of things. He was pragmatic. When you say conservative, yes, he, in fact, had some very conservative policies and politics.
On the other hand, this was a man that was very in tune with almost any walk of life, having come from Dixon, Illinois. He was -- he was very open, particularly in person. I think he came across in person as such an open, warm -- he was interesting and interested. He was -- he wanted to know about you. He wanted to know where you came from. It was that sort of thing.
And he actually had been through so many phases in his life before he got to the White House. He had great stories, loved to tell stories, and he was very gentlemanly.
I was talking -- I know you're having Congressman Dreier from California on a little bit later. I was talking to him in the green room this morning, and I said, "Did you ever hear Reagan tell an off- color joke?"
He said, "Oh, yes." And the fact of the matter is that, as an old school gentleman, Ronald Reagan, when women were around, was very much the gentleman. I never heard him say a curse word. I never heard one of those off- color jokes. Though I knew that when the men were reporters were around and alone with him, that he would share those sorts of stories.
But he was a very old school kind of a gentleman's gentleman when it came to women. I mentioned last night and it's very true, he found it very hard to ignore the questions of women reporters. It somehow seemed rude to him, whereas he could sort of brush off the male reporters, had a tough time doing that with females, so you had sort of an edge if you could get his attention.
O'BRIEN: So then how did he get along overall with the press and not just the female reporters, but with all the press? Did he have a good working relationship or some have described him as aloof, for all his warmness with real people?
CROWLEY: Distant. You know, the relationship between any president and the White House press necessarily is distant. We're -- we're never the first priority of a president.
He was -- there was always, as I say, a part of him that was away from you, for as cordial as he was, it wasn't especially personal with reporters.
And he was -- and he did not give all that many news conferences. He was not -- you know, you see all those famous Ronald Reagan hand over his ear as he went to the helicopter saying, "I can't hear you. I can't hear you." Didn't give a lot of those off the cuff things.
And we saw him in, you know, giving speeches. He did give interviews, but they generally were one on one or, you know, a couple of reporters.
So it was a distant relationship and not a lot of back and forth. I don't -- wouldn't -- on Air Force One flying with him places he didn't wander back, you know, and sit around and talk. He stayed up in the front and did his president thing.
But so I wouldn't say it was warm and friendly. Certainly not kind of Clintonesque in that he -- you know, during the campaign certainly President Clinton was, you know, played cards with reporters. Ronald Reagan was not that sort of president.
O'BRIEN: There are enough people we've heard today who say they disagreed completely with his politics and yet respected and in some cases revered the man. I find that so unusual. Explain that.
CROWLEY: Well, different time, different man. Things have certainly -- he came -- you know, Ronald Reagan came out of or came into Washington when -- right after the Iran hostage crisis. In fact, on his inauguration was the day that, in fact, it was announced that they were going to be freed.
You know, Republicans, their last kind of bout was with Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. He came in as this big, open, expansive westerner. He was very open to having the other party in.
I think yesterday John Kerry mentioned that, you know, after hours, the president was quite happy to sit down with Democratic rivals and he was, in fact, just another person who loved America.
So he was just that kind of charming guy. I mean presidencies are so shaped by the personalities of the people that sit in the Oval Office, and the personality of this man was charming, warm, open, guarded but certainly a warm -- a guy -- I mean, a person would welcome you into his home and sit down and make you feel comfortable, and that crossed party lines.
So it was -- certainly was a different time and I certainly fought him tooth and nail on any number of things, tax cuts, program cuts, as he attempted to bring the government, as he said, under control to make it smaller.
And so there was a lot of that. But in the end, even when he won he was gracious about it, and people didn't seem to hold it against him because he was so dang charming.
O'BRIEN: A reporter's recollections. Candy, thanks a lot. Appreciate it.
HEMMER: Candy mentioned him. Republican Congressman David Dreier represents the area of California where Ronald Reagan spent the last years of his life. He was first elected to Congress that same year, 1980 the same year President Reagan was elected president.
David Dreier is a guest now from D.C.
Good to see you. Good morning to you.
REP. DAVID DREIER (R), CALIFORNIA: Always good to be with you both.
Let me begin by saying that I was trying my doggone-est to be Reaganesque, and I did not share any of Ronald Reagan's off-color stories with Candy.
HEMMER: Duly noted. Duly noted.
Take me prior to November of 1980. What was your impression of Ronald Reagan as a man before he won the highest office?
DREIER: Bill, I was trying to remember exactly when I first had the chance to meet Ronald Reagan, and it was when I was a college student at Claremont McKenna College, and he inspired me.
And as Candy was talking there, I was thinking about the quality that comes to mind, and this is a guy who was constantly very optimistic. He was a glass half full sort of guy. And I never knew him to be down or depressed. He was always very, very buoyed by almost everything.
And that's what I found when I first met him, when I was in college in the mid 1970s. And he encouraged me to run for the Congress, and I was actually in the dormitory. And (AUDIO GAP) school and he was one of the people I spoke to about it.
And I ran in 1978 and he campaigned for me. Mrs. Reagan campaigned for me, as well. And I lost my election in 1978. And as I look back on it, I'm happy that I did, because I had the thrill of running again and campaigning with Ronald Reagan and coming to the Congress the same day that he was elected president of the United States.
And I mean, I put it, Bill, very simply, Ronald Reagan changed the world. And he changed it economically. He clearly, as we all know, brought down the Berlin Wall, brought an end to the Soviet Union.
And he created this sense of optimism. I mean, remember Jimmy Carter's line, the United States of America was in a state of malaise, and that's why people wanted hope. And this is a guy who had that throughout his entire life.
HEMMER: We are going to hear an awful lot of his best-known speeches over the next week.
What do you think it is about Ronald Reagan that helped him understand the power of the spoken word when it's delivered in way that's communicated to people where they can grab on to that -- maybe a phrase or a certain inflection that he adds? What was it about his ability to make a speech that drew people in?
We heard earlier today people saying oftentimes he would -- he would barely speak over a whisper but did not need to, did not speak at a great tone or a great level, because he could draw people in. Explain it to us?
DREIER: It was, obviously a lifelong ability, and it goes back to his days as a sportscaster and then his time, you know, in motion pictures and television.
And so he made no bones about the fact that he was an actor, and I think that was a wonderful skill that helped him in doing exactly what you were just describing, the fact that he was able to take complex ideas and put them very cogently.
And yet one of the great things that we found that's been made public, something that many of us knew, was that he really did spend a lot of time thinking deeply about a wide range of issues, and this has come forward in the letters and notes that he has taken.
But at the same time, Bill, he had this capability to put things so extraordinarily well and in understandable terms for the American people and the world.
I mean, I had lots of great personal times with him. I was just the other day looking at a book somebody showed me on pictures.
And I took a young boy who had been wounded by the Soviets in Afghanistan down to the Oval Office to meet with President Reagan. An I remember actually I was with him and told him about this boy, and he said, "David, would you bring him down to the Oval Office so that I could meet him?"
And within a couple of weeks we had an appointment set up and brought him down. And he was, just as Candy was saying, he was so warm and so kind and so understanding and appreciative of the sacrifice that people have made on behalf of the things we had as shared goals.
HEMMER: David Dreier, congressman from California, thank you.
DREIER: Always good to be with you, Bill.
HEMMER: You, as well. Thank you -- Soledad.
HEMMER: And Jack's here, checking in on what folks have to say. Good morning again.
JACK CAFFERTY, CO-HOST: How are you doing?
Off and on over the last 2 1/2 hours or so we kept hearing about how disarmingly charming Ronald Reagan could be. And that applied even to his political opponents.
And an example of the kind of thing people referred to is you want to get a debate going, bring up the subject of abortion. All you have to do is mention the word, and then people will line up on opposite sides of the room and try to kill each other.
Ronald Reagan said this one time about abortion. He said, "I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born."
And it was one of those disarmingly charming things that he could say. It stated his position just fine, but you couldn't really condemn him too much for it because of the way it was said. And a little glint in his eye.
One of the favorite memories that you have of President Reagan. Anthony in Ellicott City, Maryland, "I don't have the memory some will have regarding Reagan's presidency. I was still two months from my 11th birthday when he was inaugurated in 1981. Here are the things I remember: his tireless efforts to end the Cold War, including asking Mikhail Gorbachev to 'tear down this wall;' his self-deprecating humor and his humor in general; his stage presence; just the way he made America a better place to live in the 1980s."
Linda in Wolvern (ph), Massachusetts, "I'm a Democrat, but I voted for President Reagan twice. He was a great uniter. I remember how damn proud he made me feel to be an American."
And Cindi writes this: "As a teenager I can remember the fear of nuclear bombs and the horrid meaning of what could happen. When I was graduating from high school, President Reagan was making great strides to improve the world conditions and end the Cold War. I'm grateful. Because of him, I feel that our country and more importantly, our world, is safer. My son doesn't have to face the fear I felt as a young girl. And to President Reagan, I say thank you. And may your soul rest in peace."
O'BRIEN: Great feedback, I think, this morning. Really, really nice. Very touching. Thanks.
Thanks, Jack.
HEMMER: In a moment here, we'll get back to the uncanny knack to leave them laughing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REAGAN: ... an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Remember that one. Ronald Reagan using humor to disarm critics. In a moment, a look back at that.
O'BRIEN: And how would you rate the former president as a leader? Former General Electric CEO Jack Welch has strong feelings on that. He'll join us a little bit later this morning.
Stay with us. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REAGAN: What kind of people will we be 40 years from today? May we answer free people, worthy of freedom, and firm in the conviction that freedom is not the soul prerogative of a chosen few, but the universal right of all God's children.
This is the universal declaration of human rights, set forth in 1948, and this is the affirming flame the United States has held high to a watching world. We champion freedom, not only because it is practical and beneficial, but because it is morally right and just.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. That was former President Ronald Reagan speaking at the United Nations there.
When he was first sworn in as president, Ronald Reagan brought with him a wave of new economic policies, including massive deregulation, huge tax cuts and tight monetary policy.
That same year a young Jack Welch took over at a struggling General Electric, only to turn it into one of the nation's most successful companies.
Jack Welch joins us from Boston with his perspective on the Reagan years. Nice to see you, Jack. Good morning to you.
JACK WELCH, FORMER CEO, GENERAL ELECTRIC: Good morning, Soledad. How are you?
O'BRIEN: I'm well, thank you.
How did the markets and how did corporate America first respond and react when Ronald Reagan was first elected president?
WELCH: I think with curiosity, but because we were in terrible times.
I mean, people don't remember that inflation was 12 to 13 percent, the prime rate was roughly 20 percent, and unemployment, which we now talk about 5.5 percent and die over, was at 10 plus percent.
So it -- it was a time where all we thought about was being run over by the Japanese. We were down. As a prior speaker has said this weekend, Jimmy Carter had declared the country in malaise.
And so I think we along -- businessmen along with the rest of the country were a little scared. And this guy came in and rallied the troops, if you will.
O'BRIEN: Give me a sense of what his specific contributions were? I mean, what did he do literally to rally the troops?
WELCH: Well, his messages were always simple. I mean, in great leadership you get simple messages, and he epitomized that. Direct, we are a great country. Our greatest days are ahead of us.
He was one of the first people after Roosevelt to really understand that government doesn't make any money. Government only spends it. And in order to have a giving, kind society, you have to have winning companies.
And Ronald Reagan preached that, and he took the shackles off some of the regulations, allowed big bloated companies to deal with their overhead structures, to get more competitive in the global economy.
But he saw that fundamental underpinning that only winning companies have the resources to pay taxes, give back to the community, and provide the programs that government can have as safety nets. That has been lost.
O'BRIEN: Certainly, in your tenure -- in your life and in your tenure as the head of G.E., you met with numerous presidents and world leaders, as well. Give me a sense of what you thought of Ronald Reagan personally?
WELCH: He was just a regular guy next door. I mean, I had the luxury of being out with him in a very small dinner party at John McLaughlin's house. Eight people. And sitting around a redwood picnic table.
We had the streets blocked off and John McLaughlin's bedroom was all lined up with communications equipment for the situation room, but we were sitting on a redwood picnic table that I had when I was first married with a little awning on it, having a casual conversation. That was Charleston Heston and his wife, Ronald Reagan and his wife, eight people.
And the -- he expressed in the most simplistic way why we had to cut the incremental taxes -- load on America. He said, "When I did one movie, Jack, I'd get X. And then if they asked me to do another movie, they'd take 90 percent of the money from that second movie. There's no incentive in a system that does that."
That's how he explained his tax policy to me.
He wasn't nuanced, but he was direct. He knew what he wanted to do, and he stayed with it. He wasn't a particularly popular person with the media, because he wasn't sophisticated quite enough. He hasn't yet been recognized by historians appropriately because, quote, "He wasn't nuanced and sophisticated enough."
I mean, but this is -- this is what a real straightforward, western American told the world, and then he ended up doing it. It was a remarkable thing.
And America economically -- kids have gone to school, all kinds of things have happened because of what this man did. None of us may have predicted it when we first met him. I was appointed the same way he was.
O'BRIEN: A real leader. Jack Welch, the former chairman of G.E., nice to see you. Thanks for being with us.
WELCH: Thanks, Soledad.
HEMMER: Absolutely fascinating to listen to all the reaction we're gathering throughout the morning and again last evening, and much more expected throughout the day today.
A few moments ago the former president Bill Clinton shared his memories and thoughts with the news of Ronald Reagan passing at the age of 93.
Here is Bill Clinton a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I was sad and thought of the long struggle he had against Alzheimer's. I called Mrs. Reagan, and we reminisced a little bit about some of the times we shared in the 1980s when I was a young governor working with the Reagan White House on welfare reform.
When President Reagan left office, he had lunch with some of the governors in the summertime, because he was proud of having served. And we enjoyed that very much. I always liked being with him.
And even when we had our differences about domestic policy, the one thing I liked about him was that he was not mean-spirited. He was always optimistic about our country.
And he believed that freedom was a universal value, as I do. He believed that people everywhere wished to be free. And he believed that the Cold War would come to an end before most people did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: President -- Former President Bill Clinton outside of his home in Chappaqua, New York.
Clearly, this is the significant story of the day moving forward as we continue to gather more reaction throughout the morning into the afternoon.
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