gates talked about his role in the wars in iraq and afghanistan. also, "women's history for beginners" author bonnie morris. that will be feathery second at noon eastern. join our book tv book club discussion. go to thetv.ort to chat. next, our first lady ladies program featuring nancy reagan. and then a service for former prime minister ariel sharon. that is followed by a discussion of the midterm elections.

>> thank you for your support. and to the kids for just saying no. >> my hope is that the women of the future will feel truly free to follow whatever >> i think they thought that the white house was so glamorous, and that what you did was so glamorous, and your life was so glamorous. all they saw were the parties and the greeting people. i have got to tell you, i have never worked harder in my life. >> nancy reagan was ronald reagan's fiercest protector. she was active in key staff

decisions and in campaigning. she had a signature white house issue with her "just say no" campaign. welcome to "first ladies: influence and image." let me introduce our two guests. judith woodruff is the coanchor of cbs' news hour. she coproduced a documentary about the first lady. thank you for being with us. he is the washington bureau chief. he is a californian who has been covering national politics since 1984 and cowrote a book with his father, a reagan biography. lou, nice to see you.

we looked at hundreds of hours of video about the reagan presidency in the c-span library. we decided to start with the closing chapter. this is footage from the funeral when mrs. reagan says goodbye. we thought that it symbolized the partnership they both covered so much. let's watch. then we will talk a little bit more about the relationship. hard to believe it was nearly 10 years ago. as you look at that, as we have worked our way through the

series, especially in the 20th century, many of the first ladies were political partners with her husbands. was this a particularly special partnership between the two of them? >> it was from the very beginning, from the sacramento days, from the hollywood days. as the partnership we see nancy pats the coffin, it is heartbreaking. you imagine her patting his shoulder every night for 10 years. every night it was like losing him again. i think nancy got a rough start in this town, and she got a rough start in sacramento. she won everyone over in the 10 years that he had alzheimer's, she took care of him. >> maybe they weren't her words,

the people around them called it the longest goodbye. it was 1994 when ronald reagan wrote that letter announcing to the world that he had alzheimer's. it was not nearly as familiar to us as it is today. he would live another 10 years out of public view, but she was with him. bel-were in their home in angeles.os and the closeness was with them right up until the end, and you see that in the video. >> the christening of the boat was in 2001, my father and i were both there. it was a cold, blustery day in april.

and she said, i have to get back. he is agitated when i am not in the house. she really was his caretaker. >> let's talk a little bit about what the partnership meant in terms of national politics. what made this a successful quest for the white house? >> we have talked a long time about that. it was a remarkable partnership. it was a strong marriage. they loved each other deeply. it was very much a working partnership. once it was clear that ronald reagan was interested in politics, and it started when he was the spokesman for ge, traveling around the country. he was hired by ge around 1955, somewhere in there, and from that moment on, and when the friends they made decided that ronald reagan would be a great candidate for governor, and went on to be elected governor, that

she was the person -- people i talked to call her the personnel director. she made sure that the people around her husband had his best interest at heart. >> we are going to show a brief clip from "role of a lifetime" the cbs documentary, and she talks about what she brings to the relationship in terms of looking out for him. >> the first lady is another means to keep the president from being isolated. i talk to people. they tell me things. and if something is going to be a problem, i am not above calling a staff person. i make no apologies for looking out for his personal and political welfare. >> your thoughts on the partnership? >> she said she was the personnel director.

in september of 1980, when they started to hit a rocky road, and the campaign was in a little bit of trouble, it was nancy who said where stu spencer? he was only back in the campaign because nancy had helped bring about. there was one person he asked, is it ok? and that was nancy. nancy said it was her idea. >> we will have more time to talk about the white house years. we are going to go back and talk about the nancy reagan biography. before that we will talk about

how you can be involved. your questions make it so much more interesting for us so we can take the conversation in the direction of your interest. you can see us on facebook and find c-span's page. discussionready a going. you can also tweet is at first ladies. you can also use the good old phone. we will get the calls and probably about 10 minutes or so. let's go back to where she was born, in 1981. her early days were not easy. >> it was not the smoothest childhood. her mother was an actress. her father was a salesman. the marriage between edith and kenneth did not last long.

nancy was around two years old when they divorced. her mother really wanted her acting career, and she wanted a safe place for nancy. so she had nancy, until she was remarried, with nancy's on to -- aunt outside of washington. nancy lived in what was then a suburban neighborhood. the woman who was described as very different from her mother. her mother was very outgoing, was the life of the party, was in the middle of every conversation. her aunt was much more quiet. the rules were fairly strict. nancy herself talk about it. she talked in the interview in the documentary about how she missed her mother, and she would be thrilled with her mother came to visit. so it was rocky for a few years.

>> what changed for nancy when her mother remarried to a chicago physician? >> there was money. he was successful. she went to smith college. he was the doting parent she had lacked. for most of her life, that is the man she called her father. they gave her an idea of what a family could be. from that day forward, she had an idea of what she would like to be, and what she wanted out of life. and she wanted to build a family that was the family she didn't have. that was something that she and reagan had in common. she went to hollywood. she went to the theater, and then she went back to hollywood. she was typecast. she was cast as the steady woman. that is what she was.

>> did nancy reagan and barbara bush know each other as students at smith college? >> i would have to ask. do you know? i think nancy was leaving as barbara bush was coming in. >> she was only there a year or two, so i don't think so. that is a good question. >> we know that nancy went to new york to try acting right out of smith. she was in new york for two years before she went to hollywood. she had a contract at mgm studios. >> a question about her stepfather and the influence on her politics. dr. davis was very active in conservative politics. did that influence her?

>> he was a republican. i think that did influence her. she married ronald reagan, and on their first date, reagan was discussing politics. and he's talking about communism. he didn't like communism. she was receptive to his message. >> how did they meet? >> it is an interesting story. this is hollywood in the late 1940's when there was the communist scare. it was after the end of world war ii. people were named for being somehow associated with the communist party. nancy davis, which was her name at the time, showed up on a "blacklist." she.new that that was not and that was as someone who was in hollywood that was part of the communist party. she wanted to get her name off. she told her good friend, who i

believe was a producer, she said how can i get this done? they said ronald reagan as the president of the screen actor's guild. she said, as soon as i knew that, i knew who ronald reagan was. i said, absolutely, call him up. and i would be glad to meet with him. he said he would be glad to talk to her about this. and then one thing led to another. meeting. a then it became dinner. she really tells a funny story about how they both agreed to go to dinner but insisted it had to be an early evening because they had an early call, which neither one of the actually did. >> if the date doesn't work out, you can ended in a civil way, right? but they didn't ended early because they didn't have anywhere to be the next morning.

>> that was 1941. >> when did they marry? >> 1952. >> so they had a three-year courtship. you will be seeing some video of people telling the story of nancy and ronald reagan. this is about their early relationship and the love letters they shared. >> nancy was asked if it was love at first sight. she said, it might not have been, but it was pretty darn close. she was a very sentimental woman. she kept mementos of the relationship. all of the artifacts are on display in the museum, and a document how important they were to each other. one of the things that we have in here, which is very symbolic of their intense relationship, is a letter the president reagan wrote to his wife in 1953 when he was in new york, and he wrote a very charming letter to her. he wrote it as if she had actually joined him at dinner.

you can see how creative you was. the final page of the letter is very touching. let's take a look at that page, along with some of the other artifacts in the collection. this is that fourth page of the letter. it is where president reagan expresses his heartfelt feelings to his wife. this was written in 1953, about 1.5 years after they were married. he says, i suppose some people would find it unusual that you and i can so easily stand 3000 miles. but in truth, it comes very naturally. man cannot live without a heart, and you are my heart. you are the nicest thing about me and so very necessary. there would be no life without you, nor would i want anybody. signed, the eastern half of us.

recently, mrs. reagan given us this little box that held precious keepsakes of hers. when nancy reagan received her own dressing room when she was under contract to mgm, ronald reagan went to a jeweler and had a special key made for her. it had an image of a thespian on the front and on the back. she thought that was such a nice idea that two years later, after they were married and they bought their first home, she had keys made for their first home. and there is little house on the top. and they're both engraved with their initials. on his key, right above his initials it says, " our first."

marriedwere the early years like? >> they were married in 1952, and their daughter was born in 1952. she'd been getting some roles fairly steadily. and his career was the one that was stalling out at that point. then the ge offer came along. she became a homemaker. she did a few television roles in the first decade of the marriage. she was his wife, and the mother of patty, and i think years later ron junior was born. her family was her life, and she devoted all of her time to that. there is great story that once he went to work for ge, ge had an all electric house built for

them, which had every imaginable special feature in it. drape closures. the kind of things that we wouldn't think was a big deal today. but it was a big deal then. she became much closer to the wives who were influential. >> and ronald reagan brought two children to the marriage, maureen and michael reagan. by the time they came onto the national stage, first as governor of california, and then, of course, in the white house years, there were tensions between the kids. one of our viewers refers to this. they ask, what is the relationship between the kids and stepson now? we have a documentary that talks about the reagan partnership and the effect on children.

let's listen to ron reagan talk about life inside the ronald reagan household from his perspective. >> we were conscious, i think, growing up. i was. there were really two sets of people, to definite and distinct sets of people involved in the family. there was my mother and father, and there was everybody else. and while we were all part of the family, when push came to shove, there was a distinction to be made. it wasn't like, be seen and not heard, but it was -- you know, we were expected to put ourselves in second place to whatever they were doing. >> what can you add to this part of the story?

>> ron reagan junior, the family calls him skipper, and he tells the story about emotional distance. there's a kind who looks out the window and sees a kid playing football, and has to go and join the game, and there's the kind that goes back to his work. as he went on he said his dad was the kind who came out and played with the kids. you find yourself wondering, what was there beef? you keep hearing about this emotional distance that reagan had with his children. but he played ball with all of them. he was very involved.

in his own mind he was a family man first. he separated hollywood people into those who had multiple marriages and family people. jim eyman left him, so he didn't want to be divorced. michael writes about it years later when michael admits he was abused by camp counselor. he said the guy felt his pain, and reagan's eyes kind of glazed over. there was this emotional distance that was subtle that everybody talks about. sometimes people would blame nancy. but nancy, she once told my dad, after they left the white house, you can get so far with ronnie, and then something happens. it took him a long time to trust me. >> on twitter there is this question, today's hollywood is decidedly liberal. was ronald and nancy's

conservatism unusual in 1950's hollywood? >> i do not know that i am the right person to ask. there were other conservative women in the community. but those that supported ronald reagan and in his candidacy, were people not in the movie industry per se. >> there was jimmy stewart and people like that. >> i would not say that the conservatives were necessarily in the extreme minority, but they probably were not the majority. >> most of the people in hollywood were democrats. there is an interesting story about that. when reagan runs against pat brown, a popular two-term governor, pat thought it would be wise to run.

he would say, he is an actor, the way he would say, he's an idiot. people would say, why is this a winning strategy? but the people were from northern california. but in southern california people were proud of the movie industry. people were criticizing him for being an actor, and jack palance was there. they said, you can criticize this guy, but don't make fun of them because he is an actor. they said, he is one of us. and they were proud of him. >> we will take phone calls and then learn more about the governor's mansion in california. northernatching in

hollywood, ca. you are our first caller tonight. >> i was at the reagan library, and i recommend it to everybody, whether you agree with their politics or not. i was struck by the omission. i was wondering what the dynamic was between the reagans and jane. i thought it was odd that there was one little line. wyman, heh, yes, jane was married to. obviously, mrs. reagan was in control of the presidential library. i was wondering if you had any insight on that. i really appreciate the program. >> thank you so much. >> i do not think we know very much about that. jane wyman was his first wife. and they were part of the family after ronald and jane wyman divorced.

but there was never any discussion that i heard of jane wyman. >> reagan felt hurt by what it happened in a marriage. but jane wyman never gave interviews. i think she was just as well to not be made a spectacle of. she was not part of their political story. she was part of their personal story. >> keith is in illinois. hi, keith. you are on. >> thank you for taking my call. i heard somewhere that nancy was really into astrology, and things of that sort. is it true that she held séances in the white house?

>> that would be mary todd lincoln. our caller made the same mistake. but nancy did consult an astrologer after ronald reagan was shot. she did so because she was desperate for anything, anything she could have. she did not have much to control of the schedule, so she consulted an astrologer. book, andout in don's that came out. embarrassment. many people thought that she was so traumatized that if she wanted to consult astrologer she was well within her rights. >> jordan is in pennsylvania. hi, jordan. >> my grandmother has the same birth day as nancy reagan. she was born july 6, 1920.

she was one of my favorite first ladies. did her mother live to be almost 100 when she was in the white house? >> i do not remember. >> do remember if she was around for the inauguration? >> 1921 was actually her birth date. sorry to pop your balloon there. up. am looking it

>> this helps us with the transition from the ge years, to politics, and ultimately, to the governorship of california. did nancy personally like politics, or did she learn to like it is she loved ronnie? >> she did not love politics, and she was not built for politics. it was on the job training, and it wasn't always easy. she didn't like the town, and the town reciprocated. she was asked to move into the governor's mansion, which was a victorian structure downtown, if i remember. i think it was 16th street. trap.called it a fire it was the second floor bedroom, and the screen was rusted shut. how does he get out in case of fire? he was supposed to ram a dresser into the window, pop up the screen, and climbed on a rope ladder. he was 8. nancy decided they were going to

live there, and they moved to east sacramento. >> i have an answer to jordan's question. edith died in 1987, shoes to was alive for most of that time gas so she was alive for most of that time in the white house. -- so she was alive for most of that time in the white house. >> i wrote a couple bullet points down. she was criticized for not wanting to live in the governor's mansion. she was critical of ronald reagan, governor reagan's staff. she was criticized by the press for her glamorous friends and expensive lifestyle. and she had a number of issues, including veterans. those were many of the same things. >> interesting, isn't it? thick skined a

during those years. she didn't like the criticism. she is specially didn't like the criticism of her husband, and she talked about that. she knew it was not going to be easy, but she underestimated how much the press -- and it does everywhere -- be critical of politicians everywhere. she had to develop an even thicker skin. they looked at her choice of causes. and she and the press had a testy relationship. >> she shopped in beverly hills, and sacramento did not have stores like that. she was used to cool breezes. sacramento gets hot. and mostly, she hated the "sacramento bee." it was a very democratic newspaper. they were relentless in their

criticism of reagan. she canceled the subscription. people asked reagan about this. he said, it is ok, i get it in my office. she took care of him in washington. in those years, she was a little bit brittle. there was a very her story that made fun of the gaze, you know we all talked about that. it was an adoring gaze that she gave reagan. they thought it was phony. we learned over the years that it was not phony. it might've been annoying, but it was genuine. reagan protected her in this time. she treated the staff like

servants. all of these things, i think, in those years, she had the rough edges. reagan had to smooth them off. >> she learned how to be a political spouse. she learned that there were great moments when you feel terrific and appreciated. then there are the really tough moments. it prepared her for the presidency. >> she also had these causes. there was a lecture series, i guess it was in 1994. i watched it recently. drugsnd her interested in 1967.uth as early as you mentioned veterans. she helped get reagan interested in pows. the other thing about sacramento that you notice were the crowds that came up in washington. >> she had to do it a lot because the children and grandchildren of her friends were starting to have these

issues, and she saw that when her husband was governor of california. >> we have answered that question. let's move to a phone call. this is duncan in ohio. >> thank you. ronald reagan was a member of the bohemian grove. did nancy reagan express any feelings about that? >> it was a club. belonged to it. >> it is men only. we should say that.

>> they walked in the redwoods naked, and did all kinds of things. there was a call between nancy and schultz, and the papers are being released. i am inferring that she didn't mind. >> this is a much too long and political story to be told about ronald reagan's career, mounting his presidential talents one year later. what was nancy's role in encouraging ronald reagan to seek the challenge against gerald ford? >> there was a group of influential republican men, and nancy was very close friends with their wives. i am simplifying it, to some extent. there was a larger circle of people. it wasn't just this group of men who had their eye on ronald reagan.

there were people around the country who thought he would be an effective spokesperson of the conservative cause, as the ge spokesman. ronald reagan gave a much commented on speech. that was the big coming-out speech for ronald reagan. all of those disparate forces came together while he was still in the governor's office. and they jelled more or less, in that you're after, when gerald ford was running for election, and he had, of course, succeeded richard nixon, ronald reagan was on the public consciousness as a very appealing conservative challenge to gerald ford. >> remember, he had run a in 1968 for president. i have a story about nancy in

the earliest presidential conversation. maureen was writing her dad letters. there were all these letters back and forth. she's is trying to encourage him to run for governor. it says, you could be governor. he said, if we want to talk about what i could be, i could be president. this was in 1964 or 1965. he hasn't run for anything. so they decided to do this intervention. they were telling him to run for governer first. -- governor first.

nancy was on the side of her stepdaughter. reagan said something like, it is two against one. they are against me. that is how involved nancy was in the earliest conversations. >> that was unsuccessful. there was a discussion of a candidacy that went nowhere. how did they spend the next years till the campaign? >> they organize for the serious run. that one popped up spontaneously, but after 1976, when ronald reagan showed that he had substantial support in the republican party, from then on it was an all-out effort to win the nomination in 1982 when the white house. that doesn't meant he would be a shoe in. there were other republicans running. some people were saying he was too conservative. some were saying he was a warmonger.

i remember people said he had very strong anti-sovet view. i covered the carter white house, in those years. people said, he is the one who has his finger on the bomb. there was a lot of this rhetoric flying around. this was, by no means, a walk-in for him. he had the people. he had the money. >> they were out in california. and he was the nominee in waiting for four years. the only thing that is remotely like it is like what is going on with hillary clinton, to be honest with you. they are not just going to hand it to her, but he had the money. he had the support. the republican party was in transition. and it was going to be ronald reagan's party. nancy that it was true, and she turn out to be right. >> let's fast-forward here. >> are we going to slowly? >> it was a landslide against jimmy carter. 489-49 for the sitting president.

much of that was colored by the iranian hostage situation. that was coming to a common close on inauguration day. would you spend just a minute talking about that unbelievable inauguration day, when the country was waiting for the hostages to come home, and it happened right then? >> it was extraordinary time, and i tell this from the perspective of the carter white house. i covered jimmy carter, and they had a painful final year of presidency. they had been taken into tehran and were being held by iranian extremists. jimmy carter and his administration did everything they could. we know, among other things, about the commission where the helicopter went down. it was a humiliating episode in the carter presidency.

no doubt it was not the only reason jimmy carter lost the election, but it was a factor. >> what was the mood in the country about the change in leadership? >> on inauguration day reagan came up with a plan, and the plan was, remember the hostages were being released. bythey were being released -- >> this was being done deliberately by the iranians to spite jimmy carter. >> they thought they would be in airspace while reagan was still speaking, and the plan that they agreed on was that reagan would call carter up to the lectern. but that would only be of the hostages were released, and they would announce it together. i asked, what did nancy think of

this? she had a good theatrical sense too. and she was all for it. it didn't happen. but it was not carter or reagan's fault. >> john hinckley attempted ronald reagan's life at the washington hilton. we had an interview with nancy reagan in 1999 at the reagan library, and she spoke to us about that day. >> we got downstairs. i said, i'm going to the hospital. he said, it is not necessary. he hasn't been hurt. i said, george, you either get the car or i'm going to walk. we went to the hospital. and mike met me at the hospital and said, he has been shot. and there were police all around. and there was a lot of noise.

and they put me a little, small room. there was one desk and one chair. that was it. i kept wanting to see ronnie. and they kept saying, well, he is all right. but you can't see them. -- him. and i kept saying, if he is all right, why can't i see them? finally, they let me in. he had that thing on his face to help him breathe. he lifted it up and said, honey, i forgot to duck. >> how did this impact a brand- new presidency?

>> i was there that ronald reagan was shot. i was a part of the press pool that day. it was a time i will never ever forget. she was all ready completely focused on him and his safety, but after this, it was her sole purpose, you could argue. at one point, she said something like, when he left to go somewhere, i wasn't able to breathe deeply until he came back. >> that was in the movie. >> it was something she said in the documentary to us. it made her much more -- you the astrology,ut she was looking for any which way she could. she was grilling people around him to make sure that he was always doing whatever was the safest possible thing. it made her even more determined to keep them healthy.

>> just one comment about that line, honey, i forgot to duck, that nancy said. that was a famous line. it was the line that jack dempsey used after he lost the heavyweight championship. his face was all battered. and he says, honey, i forgot to duck. the line was reported in the newspapers, at the time. it may dempsey the hero he had not been in the public's mind, until that time. he was bigger when he lost because of that. i think the same thing is true of reagan. that line was reported in the press here. americans really admired reagan for it, because they realized what he was trying to do, which was reassure his wife.

>> ronald reagan really endeared himself to the american public. some said it was a difficult debut for the first lady. 26%.pproval ratings were what were some of the reasons why it was a challenging first year? >> as in california, where she found a governor's home, a governor's mentioned that she felt was unsafe, she felt that the white house was in disrepair. she felt there were repairs that needed to be done. she said the furnishings were shabby. she wanted a complete renovation and refurbishing. she wanted new drapes and new upholstery. money to get this

done. she said often, i loved entertaining. i thought that was an important part of being a white house. it was a way to connect with people. she said, we didn't even have the right china. she raise the money to buy a set of china. she was also very interested in style and fashion. choose is a person who cared -- she was a woman who cared about her appearance. she got a new set of china. and there was a publicity about her clothes, and it was the image of a woman who cared more about things that did not matter. and it did not go over well. that contributed to the public view.

>> what was the difference between jacqueline kennedy coming in wearing fashionable, european desiged clothes and nancy reagan doing it, not that long after? >> that is a fair question. >> that is a fair question. nancy thought it would be a fair new start for her, but it was déjà vu all over again. they criticized her for going shopping at bloomingdale's. look, jackie was a special case. there is an edgy website. i don't frequent it very often. it is called nerve.com. it is about sex and younger people stuff. i was on there recently, in preparation for this show, to see they ranked the sexiest first lady's in history. nancy reagan ranks very high. i was very surprised that this hip, young website up that.

jacqueline kennedy was #1, and they don't even need to clean up. -- explain it. they just showed her picture. jackie did things that no one else could do. >> do have a comment on the difference? >> it was a different time. it was the 1960's. it was camelot. there is a difference in age. there is a difference in appearance. a lot of people were very divisive between john f. kennedy and richard nixon. that was a time when a lot of americans were excited. it was a different time. it was 20 years later. the country was getting a little cynical. they had gone through watergate. the press corps was not as willing to just follow and accept whatever the president and first lady were doing. >> a call from michael in pennsylvania. you are on. >> thank you. great show. was there a position or ideology that they sometimes disagreed

upon, or that the staff disagreed upon? >> thank you. were there any issues at the reagans did not see eye to eye on? >> not that i know of. but the staff, absolutely. there was open warfare on many issues. issue: iranortant contra. nancy would push. nancy at a point of view, and she would push. on the soviet union, she believed strongly in negotiating with mikhail gorbachev. she pushed back against staffers

who did not have his agenda at heart. you have to think about this. there were differences. nancy knew her reagan was. he was there in 1976. gerald ford called reagan up to the stage. what does he talk about? nuclear war. armageddon. she knew that that was what reagan wanted, and she pushed in that direction. she pushed against those who did not know what reagan wanted. >> i think she was a moderating influence on him. she wanted him to be the best man he could be and that the best legacy. they didn't disagree. there is no question that she worked very hard behind-the- scenes with the secretary of state to make sure that president reagan was listening to those who were on his side.

>> aids is an issue that ha has has come up, and there were people in the white house who thought he should speak out. early on, there were people who didn't want him to speak out. nancy was on the side of those who wanted him to talk about it. he talked about it in 1985 and 1986. nancy did not trust that the white house policy shot would say what he wanted to say. she had someone who would come back and write the speeches.

she would say, this is how she wants it. that was nancy reagan. >> the first lady was having trouble with her image in the press corps. and there were approaches to help change that. one of those came in 1982, with an event in washington dc. nancy reagan. and it was a game changer. we will listen to her talking about that in a 1988 interview with journalist heather smith. she will talk about her charity parody and why she approached the issues this way. >> secondhand clothes, they are all the rage at the spring fashion shows. there were for collars that ronnie bought for $.10 on the dollar. second hand gowns. old hand-me-downs. the china is the only thing that is new.

even though they tell me i'm no longer queen, did ronnie have to buy me the new sewing machine, secondhand clothes, secondhand clothes. i hope that he sows. i came around to, ok, well, we will try. it could not be worse than it was. she said, originally, they thought that i would make fun of the press. and i said, no. no. no. i am not going to do that. the only way we can do this is if i make fun of myself, if i make fun of myself. then maybe i will have a 50-50 chance here. as you well know, that first year was not, nobody was really crazy about me.

and i don't think i would have been crazy about me, reading what i did about me. >> the press was rough. >> the press was rough. and i really don't know why because it started before he got here. they did not know me. i never did quite figure out why. i didn't know, until i read in your book, that they were having meetings about me over the west wing, that i was a liability and everything like that. i guess maybe i was. i was pretty gun shy. it had been rough. and your inclination is to run and hide in a closet and lock yourself in. you tend to pull back. i do, anyway, when it is that

rough. that is the wrong thing to do. you shouldn't do that, but i do. >> she was very self aware there. >> her instincts were exactly right on. she had self-deprecating humor. she made fun of her self. the press ate it up. it turned an important corner for her. >> another thing that nancy reagan did was the anti-drug campaign, which became the "just say no" campaign. how political was this? >> first ladies are supposed to have a signature issue, and this was something she cared about and knew about. this was a phrase in the anti- drug movement among psychologist, "just say no", and

then seized on it and popularized it. they criticized her because it was simplistic. she said, if it saves one life, it is worth it. >> the numbers suggested that over their 8 years in the white house drug use amongst young people did decline. i do not know if it was a result of this campaign. she also had other recognition in the united nations. she was the first lady to do that. she was the first first lady recognized by the president in a state of the union address. in 1986, the two of them, this was another first, sat down to talk about the antidrug effort. we will talk about the use of television to connect the american public. let's watch. >> to those watching and listening, i have a personal message for you. there is a big, wonderful world

out there for you that belongs to you. it is exciting and stimulating. don't cheat yourself out of this promise. our country needs you to be clear eyed and clear minded. i recently read one teenager's story. she is now determined to stay clean, but was once strong out on several drugs. what she remembers about her recovery is that after her treatment she was able to see colors again. open your eyes to life. see the vivid colors that god

gave us as gift to his children to enjoy life to the fullest and to make it count. say yes to your life. and when it comes to drugs, most of all, just say no. >> i think you can see why nancy has been such a positive influence on what we are trying to do. the job ahead of us is clear. nancy's personal crusade, like that of so many wonderful individuals, should become our national crusade. >> a conversation has been how white houses use the media. in this case we had two people who had acting within their profession, and television was in their ascendancy. how did they use it? >> people talked about reagan was an actor, but she was an actor to. she had 12 feature films. they used it as easily as you and i would pick up the

telephone and call a friend. she talking about color, and she is wearing a red just. -- dress. she understood how the message should go with the pictures. it was almost second nature to them both. >> i want to move to the second term in the white house. again there were so many issues. in brief, some of them included the explosiony., and the irannger, contra affair. and there was the iran iraq war. did she become a positive political force in the white house and the second term? >> she came out of it and really

was a very careful in her dealings with the press. she has a presence about her -- poise. she was able to communicate in a way that was helpful to the white house. the second term was very different than the first term. they both learned a lot by then. we know president's second terms can be rough. the problems came and you've listed several of them. hi, lucy from wisconsin. >> the question goes back to the jackie kennedy, nancy reagan episode with both of them having the same interest in changing the white house. i sense such a double standard with the press. i have no problem with the press reporting. i have a problem with the president shaking the image. i cared a lot about the kennedys but they gave them a free pass on many issues. they ripped nancy reagan apart

and i felt that was a bit unfair. i don't know if that will ever change. i just wanted to know if you ould address that. >> i do think it was a different time. we talked about this a few minutes ago, but i do believe the country and the press corps were more accepting of politicians, presidents. look at what we now know jack kennedy was doing part of the ime. the press did not report on that. 20 years later, we had been -- the country had been through watergate, vietnam. many more questions about whether our leaders were telling

the truth and i think there was a much greater reluctance to believe our eyes. i don't mean me but i mean the ress's eyes. >> there were some criticisms. we talked about the sense of style she brought to the white house and whether that was appropriate for the time. they used the white house to promote the political agenda as most presidents have. we are going to show you a little bit of how the reagan library was like her style. >> nancy reagan knew how important it was for her to dress appropriately. this gold gown is from the second inaugural. there was a matching dress underneath and it was designed from one of her favorite designers that designed for her during her white house years. this dress is her lucky

dress. she wore this when she attended the national republican convention in 1980 when her husband was nominated to become president. she always loved it. it was designed by adolfo. she wore it quite a bit. it was one of her favorites. in 1985, they flew to geneva to meet with gorbachev. mrs. reagan wore this suit to that meeting. one of the truly, most classic dresses that she wore and the colors that she wore exemplified in this portrait dress. she wore it for her official portrait, but she also wore it to a number of other events. it is quite elegant and stunning. >> i want to ask about their use

of the white house rooms for ntertaining. how did they use them? >> they used them strategically. they liked entertaining. having come from hollywood, the social life was important to hem. nancy reagan herself talks about this and when i interviewed her she said, this is an opportunity to play host to a visiting head f state. you invited people and whoever he hollywood stars at the time from frank sinatra to elizabeth

taylor. you were invited and you came. that is true today for any president but the reagans were very conscious of that and conscious that they could impress their guests. she also said, you could get business done on those occasions. yes, they were social but there was also business. >> we have learned so often that on the diplomatic stage, personal relationships could have very important effects. what was important to note about these two couples? >> reagan thought he could do business with gorbachev. he brought his number one ally to the summit. the speeches kept getting changed. nita black credits nancy for helping reagan push back. there was another man who was the soviet expert.

reagan kept saying, i can do business with this guy. he took nancy there as an ally to show the world that two ouples could get along and maybe the two countries could get along. >> she continued the tradition of live events from the white house. she introduced the public to some of the musicians and other cultural events. that is a tradition that continues to this day. >> not long ago, the obamas hosted one of these. >> i think jackie kennedy started this. >> floyd is in california. are you there? >> i had a question about how did the reagans interact with rince charles and princess

diana when they went to visit the white house in 1985? > you have any memories of that? >> i don't remember. i know everybody in the world who wanted to be at the white house probably wanted to be at that dinner. >> let's move on, because our time is going short, to an event that became very important in the disposition of the white house. from the perspective of the first lady, this was a real crisis in confidence for the presidency. what was nancy reagan's role in counseling the president? >> she thought it was a threat. she did two things. she doubled down on the negotiation on getting reagan to negotiate with gorbachev. she encouraged that because she thought that would be a better way to change the conversation.

nother thing she did -- i have not mentioned it a lot on the show but i should -- my father was reagan's biographer. >> the one and only lou cannon. >> he told me recently that he thought the most important contribution nancy made was pushing on reagan to make the apology on iran-contra. it may have saved his residency. he had that funny speech. >> it took him a while. it was an agonizing period when the president did not want to recognize this was taking place. he said, it happened and i didn't -- i can't believe it appened.

it was a convoluted explanation but he did say that it was a mistake and that broke the ice and the american people turned at that point. >> we are talking about the image and influence of the first ladies. this was a key moment. >> she had many contributions. we were talking earlier about the dinner in 1982 but people forget -- by 1986, reagan at the white house correspondents dinner is joking about nancy's influence. he says, she and don regan -- he says, don regan and nancy had a lunch and they each brought their tasters. by the second term, nancy's influence is acknowledged on the staff and policy. >> she did not acknowledge it as much as others did but it was very much there. >> in 1987, nancy reagan was

diagnosed with cancer. >> she talked about it and handled it with grace. this was another event that drew the public to her because she was able to talk about it. she had a mastectomy and made it. by no means was this something that was easy to go through with but the fact that she could talk about it at a time where it was still hush hush. etty ford had been through her wn episode but i think for nancy reagan to do this -- >> we will hear one last piece of nancy reagan in her own voice looking as her role as the guardian of ronald reagan and the white house. this is her talking about her political antenna. >> i had little antennas that

pointed up when somebody had their own agenda and not ronnie's. i would tell him. he wouldn't always agree with me but i tell him. >> what was the first thing you noticed when somebody had their own agenda? >> you just know. you have those antennas. >> visible antennas were probably directed to don regan ho ultimately lost his job and some of that was over the disagreement over the iran-contra situation. hat did we learn about their relationship? >> he wanted to get back to her

nd the astrology thing was a poisonous arrow in the quiver. they had different ideas about what reagan should've been doing. she listened. she was a careful listener. she tried to get george h.w. bush to help her get rid of don regan and he told her it was not his job. she was talking to the vice president of the united states and told him it was his job. later, when bush was running for president, he said he would promise a kinder and gentler country. nancy said to a friend, kinder and gentler to whom? >> she was instrumental earlier in the presidency in the removal of william clark because she felt he took took hard a line against the soviets.

she was not the only one but she played a big role. >> she demonstrated her political antenna on behalf of er husband and her influence inside that white house. >> she was a personnel director. >> january 1989, they turn over the white house to reagan's vice president. we have about 15 minutes to talk about a very long post-presidency. that was marked fairly soon with the announcement of president reagan's alzheimer's. before that, this memoir came out. this was -- in 1989, so clearly she was working on it during the latter part of the white house

years. "my turn" is the name of it. er turn at what? >> she talked about some of these aides. she told her side of the story but the book does not have any surprising revelations in it. not really if you knew about her. she talks about how she supported the president. you might say she wanted it both ways. she was very powerful but if you crossed her, you would feel it, but if you said she was powerful, she would think you were dissing reagan. >> the opening of the reagan ibrary at that time. how did the reagans raise the money for the library and how id they use the library?

>> they went to their friends, many of whom gave a lot of money. they went through other foundations. they worked very hard through mrs. reagan and initially through the president before he became ill. this is telling ronald reagan's story but today it is seen as a way of maintaining his legacy. we know in the republican party today, ronald reagan is still very much a revered figure as is nancy reagan. the library is part of telling what ronald reagan did as president, what he believed in, but also perpetuating some of those views. they hold seminars, speeches. speakers come and talk. it is a beautiful setting right there on the california coast. >> philip is watching us in brooklyn. >> thank you. let me say at the outset, i just love mrs. reagan.

first i have to say i watch every episode of this series and how nice it was to find out that nancy was not the first lady -- the first first lady that wanted to bring new style into the white house. i was very happy to hear there were other ladies that wanted to do that as well. it didn't go on for weeks or onths. the china story went on for years. the media really went after her. one of nancy's good friends was an expert at protocol. such an expert that the queen of england went to her for consultation. nancy had friends like her that were poised and i think nancy -- when you have that much poise and grace, you are going to have some enemies. every white house administration has a very close-knit circle of friends but it seems like the reagans had many, many years of loyal supporters and i was wondering how did mrs. reagan cultivate all of those people that were so loyal to her and her husband? >> she was a perfect size two,

for the record. or zero. >> let's focun on her importance in keeping that circle of advisors together. >> it was a little different for reagan and nancy. he was a beloved conservative leader. a guy like that comes along -- he is like roosevelt in that respect. people love what he stands for. nancy's situation was a little different. people love her. she has these lifelong friends and she treats them well. i think, in that sense, if she was never in politics, she

would've been an admirable person the way she kept friends. >> they left the white house in january 1989 and it was five years later in 1994 that he announced that he had alzheimer's. there was a period of years and you can add a few years after that when he was communicating and recognizing her. a point came in the late 1990's when she was telling people he did not recognize her. >> in 1991, at the 80th birthday of reagan, it was held at the library and reagan got up and spoke. he spoke slowly about thatcher. he turned to nancy and he said his life began when he met her and it was rich and full ever since. there was a time when they left

the white house that it was magical for them. >> this tour she gave -- she talked about alzheimer's and the effect on her. >> what have you learned about this disease? >> it is probably the worst disease you can ever have. >> why? >> you lose contact and you are not able to share all those wonderful memories that we have. we had a wonderful life. >> can you have a conversation that makes sense to you? >> not now. no. >> the letter itself, what were the circumstances in which he wrote the letter?

>> i was with him and we were in the library. he sat down and wrote it. that was it. >> first draft? >> first draft. he crossed out one or two words in there. i don't know what that was. only ronnie could write a letter like that. >> she devoted, once his illness became debilitating, she devoted her life to being his caretaker. occasionally she would make an entrance to the public arena. you stayed in touch with her. what is her own explanation of how she used her post-white house years and when she decided to become public about issues that mattered to her? >> it was all about pushing and

preserving her husband's legacy. it was all about ronald reagan, the man that was at the center of her life for 65 years until his death. her interests -- i think you were going to bring this up -- in stem cell research even when it was not a popular thing in the republican party was all about its connection to alzheimer's. she had friends who had children with juvenile diabetes. it was believed that we need to do much more with stem cell research than the u.s. had been doing. she lobbied president george w. bush in the early 2000's when this was an issue. again, went against the party, she called members of congress. she was a fierce advocate. she made speeches for it. you could trace everything she has done since then with something that has to do with what her husband did or alzheimer's.

>> in terms of party politics, in 1996, she was at the convention in san diego. she got involved in the mccain presidential efforts by endorsing him. when had she chosen to be involved with the republican party politics and why? >> she knew john mccain. the reagans are one of the first couples that mccain went to. i think of that as another one of nancy's friendships in which she was loyal. she would not be now if you are entering the arena, we would not think of her as a right winger of the republican party. we would think of her as a moderate republican. >> were there any other social issues she was interested in? >> she was very strategic about it. she works with a team of people who are very involved in this issue.

they planned way ahead about where they can use nancy, where can she go to make a speech, who can she call to get it done. she was effective. >> kim is in california. you are on. >> i love your show. i was wondering what charities or groups is nancy reagan part of at this time? >> i have shared this already but i have spoken with nancy reagan over the telephone today. she is every bit as sharp as she has ever been. she does not get around as much as he used to. i think her ability to get out in public and do the kinds of things she did for many years, that is limited.

he still can get out but it is not as much. she is 92 years old and she is not as active in public but she still follows what is going on. she follows the news. she may be even watching this tonight. she is an avid follower of what is going on in american politics and american life. >> she released a statement about the reagan spokesman. we just showed a picture of nancy reagan with michelle obama. were there first ladies that she had a special relationship with? do we know? >> i don't. >> she overlapped with barbara bush because they were vice president and president at the same time. the reagans left washington after. they were not around in washington during the bush presidency and before that they

were not in washington. she has been available to other first ladies. you just saw her photographed with michelle obama. i know that laura bush and president george w. bush saw her from time to time. she she was focused on her husband when he was alive and since then on her life in california. >> justin is in indiana. >> thank you for taking my call. you touched on it earlier about the special relationship between margaret thatcher and ronald reagan. i wanted to know what was nancy's relationship to the thatchers? we will have a woman president in our country. >> she invited margaret thatcher to the birthday party of reagan.

a woman president? >> it was a statement. >> he may not have to wait that long. >> we have about four minutes left and it is important for us to put a cap on this. what is important, do you think, to know about nancy reagan in the role of first lady and her contribution to the reagan residency? >> i think it is what we have been saying. first ladies have long been close to their husbands, have paid close attention to politics. i think nancy reagan took that to a new level. it wasn't so much she wanted to be sitting in cabinet meetings or policymaking meetings. she was very aware of her husband and wanted him to be

successful and was ready to act. to make sure that the people around him were serving his best interests and letting him be the best person that he could be. and that way she exerted tremendous influence because she would move a mountain to make sure her husband was protected. >> you called president reagan a movement president. how should the public view nancy reagan's role as first lady? >> she was the personnel chief. no personnel chief has ever slept with the president. she had more influence. she was a very modern first lady in that sense. their son told judy that she did her best to make sure he could do his best.

i was thinking about that this morning. she once said that reagan preferred heights to valleys. she would make sure they would go up to the mountains. she went with him and did it etaphorically. she was a height, not a valley. he lightened his mood. >> we are going to listen to president reagan's answer to that question. in a 1988 tribute to nancy reagan that happened in conjunction with the gop convention in that year, he talked about her and that is how we are going to close our program. let me say thanks to both of you for being here tonight to tell

the story of nancy reagan. we appreciate it. now president reagan in his own ords about nancy reagan. >> what do you say about someone who gives your life meaning? what do you say about someone who is always there with support and understanding? someone who make sacrifices so that your life will be easier and more successful? what you say is that you love that person and you treasure her. [applause] i simply can't imagine the last eight years without nancy. the presidency would not have been the joy it has been for me without her beside me. that second floor living quarters would've been a lonely spot without her waiting for me everyday at the end of the day.

she once said that a president has all kinds of advisers and experts who look after his interests when it comes to foreign policy or the economy or whatever. no one looks after me with the every president should be so lucky. [applause] i think it is all too common in marriages that no matter how much partners love each other, they do not think each other enough. i suppose i do not think nancy and -- nancy enough for all that she does for me. let me say thank you for all you

do. thank you for your love. thank you for just being you. [applause] >> next week, our series continues with the life of barbara bush.

she met the president when she was 16 years old and married him at age 19. literacy.ause was join our discussion on the life of barbara bush next monday at 9:00 right here on c-span. along with the white house historical association, we are offering a special edition of the book. it includes biographies and a portrait of each first lady. it is available for $12.95 plus shipping. visit our series website. it chronicles life in the executive mansion.

>> we bring public affairs events from washington directly to you, when you in the room a congressional hearings, white house events, and offering complete coverage of the u.s. house. we are c-span, created by the cable tv industry 35 years ago and funded by your local cable or satellite provider. like us on facebook and follow us on twitter. >> the state memorial service for former israeli prime minister ariel sharon. a discussion on the 2014 midterm elections. monday, president obama responded to criticism. the president called gates an astounding -- an outstanding

secretary. >> secretary gates didn't outstanding job for me -- did an outstanding job for me as secretary of defense. strategy forth a afghanistan that was the right strategy and we are continuing to execute. is we got theant policy rate -- policy right. this is hard. it always has been. whenever you have men and women that you are sending into harms way after having already made in -- ins investments norman's investment in another country, part of your job -- enormous investments in another country, part of your job is to sweat the details. there are sacrifices being made

and you are asking ourselves questions about how you can improve the strategy. will --of that strategy because of that strategy, we are toa position to continue assist the afghan people in making sure they have a stable country that is working on behalf of the afghan people and is a good partner with us. war is never easy. i think all of us who have been involved in that process understand that. hisnt to emphasize during tenure, secretary gates was a good friend of mine and an outstanding secretary of defense. >> joe biden and former british prime minister tony blair were among the attendees at the state

memorial service for ariel sharon. he was in a coma for eight years after suffering a stroke in 2006. netanyahu also spoke at this 90 minute event. ♪

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>> please sit down. invite thed to president of israel to deliver his eulogy. members of the sharon family, prime minister and mrs. netanyahu, president of the biden, court, joe special envoy to the middle east

, tony blair, prime minister of the czech republic, chairman of the state of the russian federation, prime minister of australia, prime minister of , oursset members ,uests from israel and overseas .e are thankful -- you devoted your life to the country.

the imprint of your footsteps throughout the country. land.otected the in every military operation, you made important historic decisions. in the early 1950s, i was asked to present a young officer who who hadudent of history .riginal ideas the description i received about poem.unded more like a it was said to me that you are wise and courageous,

nonconformist, with courage and , a soldierability and not afraid of the enemy, not afraid of the vision. born for greatness. we informed -- we formed a friendship. there is a youngster way above all of us with the ability to lead us. his words captured our hearts and his soldiers followed him blindly. when one of him -- when one of them was hurt, he never left him until he recovered. he was a brother and a comforter

. he told of their courage in simple language. people loved him and he loved the sons of israel. he was a man of the land. he loved the smell of the land. land like a the lion. -- he taught his youngsters how to defend the country. legend,was already a there were aspects to his life,

like his sensitivity that came described ae butterfly in a tree or a flower and when he talked about his ,riends, the love of his wife his children were deep in his heart. they stood by him day and night until his last breath in devotion and love. gentlemen, we are laying to rest today a fighter, a commander who knew how to win, who charmed his people even in the most

difficult hour. a rare human being. you change things that seemed impossible to things that are possible. danger andpursued you never delayed decisions. warrantded and you also ned.arran you should now rest, great leader. the land -- will receive you as . man

a nation will stand to receive this one miracle. we will miss you greatly. may your memory be blessed. >> i am honored to invite benjamin netanyahu to deliver his eulogy.

,> members of the sharon family viceresident of israel, , presidentoe biden of the czech republic, prime minister of the czech republic, former prime minister tony blair , distinguished foreign many delegations who , presidentrom abroad of the supreme court, ministers, members of the knesset,

, arieluished guests sharon was one of the greatest ideas. of the he belongs to the generation of the founding of israel. on bringingtional jewish fighters that will bring new the jewish legacy -- that will renew the jewish legacy of , ariel sharonael had a central role in the building of this legacy. he fought in the ideas for many

until the battles of the yom kippur war. the concept of retaliation and against the war on terror. fighters. he also implemented in his , in the battles of the

six-day war. above everything else, his throughto maneuver came in the war of yom kippur when he led the idf forces and he defeated the egyptian army under his command. he brought a change to the battle and for its successful in doing that started under very difficult conditions for the state of israel. he manifested great courage and initiative and was dumb -- and wisdom and contributed greatly .o the strength of the fighters as a minister and the prime minister, he insisted about the right to act so that we can live , ae in peace and security

right that we insist on today which is vitally important for our existence and for peace. himd not always agree with and he did not always agree with me, but when he served in my government and when i served in his government, we worked in cooperation for the safety and security of israel. he was a practical man. he was a pragmatic man. embedded insm was and aeeling for the state great feeling for the jewish people. the need ofd well

the jews to be masters of their destiny. he considered greatly our relationship with the united insist on he knew to the vital interest of israel in tests one task -- international action seemed to .im conciliatory he appealed to the international community and said the following, please do not repeat 1938orrible mistakes of when they decided to sacrifice czechoslovakia for a convenient solution. do not try to reconcile the arabs at our expense. what concernsthat

, we have to stand strong. ,e are keeping these principles the state of israel will continue to strive for peace while safeguarding our security and it will act in any way to arment iran the ability to nuclear weapons. in the history of israel, ariel sharon will be registered as one of the greatest leaders and fighters for this -- for the jewish people. the people of israel say goodbye to you today. your contribution to the security of israel is embedded in our history and your memory

will be embedded for ever in the heart of the nation. >> i am honored to invite the toaker of the knesset deliver his eulogy. >> all of the members of the israel,the president of prime minister netanyahu, the president of the supreme court,

vice president, special envoy tony blair, all of this distinguished heads of the delegations, thank you for being with us today. members,, knesset , the honored guests citizens of israel, eight years the 11th primece minister of israel went into a coma. here today his coffin is laying in the knesset so we will give him his last honor. kept for thet has

few who have devoted their lives for the benefit of the entire nation, for the fighters who fought when a sharp weapon was put on their neck. imprinted the history of israel and your imprint is in our history. -- the gates of israel were never too heavy for your shoulders. our gates were never too heavy for you. led fighterss that in the war of independence while -- while youring

were recovering from the battle where you almost lost your life. your soldiers carried heavy battlesin retaliatory and became stronger in the six- defeated theyou egyptian forces in the suez canal. , you carried hero forthtes of gaza and put bravery during the warm of yom kippur. toce then, you never failed , always state of israel , ready for every

mission. brought by the history or the people. i heard about him before i met him. the first meeting never disappointed me. immigrants as a bulldozer -- new him as a bulldozer. housing, heter of gave all kinds of initiatives to help those without a roof over their heads.

i was the person who decided to give the same incentives to all of the new immigrants and and made implemented clear -- it was made clear that this decision was one of the best decisions even in the wee hours of the morning or night. theuld discuss difficulties. not agree with his decision to back away. and since then