when the president was going through his ordeal after leaving the white house, our calls became more regular, and i could hear her loneliness, and on one of the calls i suggested the next time i'm in california, we should have lunch, and maybe we should invite our mutual friend warren beatty. no, tom, she said, it is enough to have lunch with you. i'm told the next day when the phone call arrived and it was nancy saying, do you think ward might like to have lunch with us -- warren might want to have lunch with us? [laughter] and the luncheon companion star power when of many multiples. there is nothing like walking into a los angeles dining room with mrs. reagan on your arm. brokaw and beatty were also quickly in the publications. we treasure those lunches because she always arrived with mr. political observations and the best gossip from both coasts.

metaphorically, there was a lunch for me. it was my duty to name them, president and mrs. bush, president and mrs. bush, president carter, and vice president dick cheney, president and mrs. clinton. i finished my remarks, walked about, sat beside meredith and said to me, you did not mention nancy. i said, she is not here. she said, yes, she is, she is hidden behind the column. i had not seen her, so i'm eagerly called ever speech will friend stu spencer who answered by saying, what were you thinking, brokaw? stu, do you think she noticed? [laughter] are you kidding? here is her mobile number. call her right now, which i did. i took my medicine from an

aggrieved friend for the next 15 minutes, until she accepted my explanation, and then it was back to square one again, and the way i got out of it was, she had been given a terrible seat, i agreed. what i so admired about nancy was that ability to do just that. she knew how to protect her husband and her president, but also her own place, to stand her ground, and once it had been resolved and move on. that was never more evident on the many occasions when i spoke here at the library. we meet in a holding room downstairs to catch up on the latest gossip, what was going on in our personal lives, and then after everyone had been seated, after she was confined to a wheelchair especially, i would help get her to her feet, then we would take her to an entryway that had been curtained off, and

beyond the entry way could hear the music began to swell, and off stage announcer in toning, ladies and gentlemen, the former first lady of the united states nancy reagan, and her guest tom brokaw. i would escort her into the auditorium and into the front row and seizure the side tom selleck, her friend, and then give my lecture. the last time we were there together, i received an enthusiastic response from the audience. but i wanted to be sure nancy approved, so i leaned over to her seat as the applause continued and said, i hope that was ok. she whispered back to me, tom, give me a little kiss, they are going to love that. [laughter] and so, i did, and so they did. our shared editor of random house reminded me that when we

lost nancy last weekend, it would have been the 68th anniversary of their marriage, ronnie and nancy. so god bless nancy, mrs. ronald reagan, first lady, and the unlikely friend of a reporter. thank you, nancy. >> in the month before my father died, my mother repeated often that she had to be there at his last moment. her determination was ferocious. she simply had to be at his side

when he left this world. i said the only thing i could think of, and what i thought my father would say, was that it was in god's hands. she was there, and occasionally i thought, even god might not have the guts to argue with nancy reagan. as her own health declined, she was quite adamant and vocal about reuniting with my father on the other side after her passing. i am hoping for god's peace of mind, that she got her wish. my parents were two halves of a circle, closed tight around a world in which their love for each other was the only substance they needed. while they might venture out and include others in their orbit, no one truly crossed the boundary into the space they held as there's.

i saw this exquisitely portrayed in front of me one summer evening when i was a teenager. we used to rent a beach house for a few weeks in the summer. on this evening with a vivid sunsets streaked across the sky, i looked out and saw my parents sitting on the sand, close together, heads tilted in conversation. there was so much of vastness around them, the blue pacific, the orange and pink sky, miles of white sand, and then there was the circle of their own private world, as clear as if it had been traced around them, indestructible, impenetrable, and island for two. i knew i would carry that image for the rest of my life. when my father was shot and my mother rushed to the hospital, they at first would not let her see him.

i have to, she said. you don't understand how it is with us. the moment before my father died, he opened his eyes, which had been closed for days, and he looked straight at my mother. the circle was drawn again as he left this world. in the weeks after he died, my mother thought she heard his first that's coming down the hall late at night. she said he would appear to her long after midnight, sitting on the edge of the bed. i don't know anything about the possible passages between this world and the next, but i do know her faith in these visits eased some of her loneliness. they made her feel that he was close by. on one occasion, i am quite certain that she was channeling my father. i had gone up to her house and found her very busy making phone calls to elected officials, trying to gain their support for stem cell legislation, something she was quite passionate about. she ended one phone call and gave me a somber look. well, she said, in a calm tone, sounding much more like my

father than herself, karl rove is dogging my phone calls. everyone i call, he calls right after and try to get them to oppose stem cell legislation. right after, i asked, are you sure your phone is not bound -- bugged? no, i had a secret service check on that. [laughter] you must be furious, i told her, puzzled by the fact that she did not seem furious at all. she shook her head, no, and her entire demeanor was not only calm but practically zen. even people who never knew my mother will know that the word is and has never been applied to nancy reagan. but that is what i saw. there is no time to get upset, she said, there is work to be done, i cannot get distracted. i have to keep moving forward. i admit, i did say, who are you,

and what have you done with my mother? [laughter] overtime, which he referred to as late-night visit from my father deceased, she no longer hurt his footsteps in the hall, but she never stopped missing him. she tells me wants the reason she had a television on all the time was because it filled the house with sound and made her feel less lonely. another remedy for her loneliness was to fill the empty spaces with stories and memories. a few days before she died, i reminded her of something that happened many decades ago when we lived in pacific palisades. my father used to get assange is from a large eastern european men who would come to the house and set up his massage table in my parents dressing room. on one of these days, as my father lay face down on a table, my mother tiptoed in, kissed him lightly on the back of his neck, and tiptoed out.

[laughter] he did not know it was her. [laughter] but he went through the rest of the massage. [laughter] never said a word, and after the missouri left, he said to my mother, i don't think we can have him back anymore. [laughter] why, she asked, what happened? well, he kissed me. when she told him it was her recovery he was flooded with relief, and said, thank god, i did not know what to do. my mother's laughter in remembering that day was unbeknownst to me, would turn

out to be the last time i would hear her laugh. it is no secret that my mother and i had a challenging and often contentious relationship. when i was a child, i imagined having warm, comfortable conversations with her, the kind of conversations that feel like lamplight. the reality was far different. i tried her patients, and she intimidated me. we were never mild with one another, whether we were distant and angry, or bonded and close. our emotions burned up the color chart. but there were moments in our history when all that was going on between us was love. i choose to remember those moments. i choose to remember the mother who held together the back of her young daughter's head after she fell at a friends house and

cracked her skull open on the fireplace hearth. she drove with one hand and held my head with the other, talking soothingly to me and trying to conceal the fear in her eyes. watching her was hypnotic. it made my head hurt less. i choose to remember my mother, framed by the window of a new york hotel room as i told her that i have been involved in a complicated relationship for two years and has now been cruelly tossed aside. i was 19. i felt older and more wounded than any 19-year-old should feel. i needed a mother, and i came to mine, holding out a fragile hope that she would keep me from crumbling beyond all recognition. she did. she did not judge me, she was not punishing or accusatory. she was tender and understanding and loving. i choose to remember walking with her along the beach. somehow, the ocean always calms

the air between us and allows us to be easy with each other. most of all, i will remember looking out the window to the sweep of sunset and seeing my parents sitting together on the sand, maybe on the other side there are other shores and internally brilliant sunsets. maybe it's possible to sit there forever, undisturbed, two souls happily entwined in eating only each other. robert sexton wrote, across the years, i will walk with you. indeed green forests, on short sands, and when our time on earth is through, in heaven, too, you will have my hand. i hope for my parents those parents don't live only in the poets imagination, but are a map to what they both long for and believed in in the world beyond this one.

>> i love that story about the masseur. laying on the table, laying there, just waiting for this man to do something else. what must have been going through his mind? [laughter] i guess i'm batting cleanup here, so on behalf of my family, thank you all for coming here. we really appreciate it. my sister patty and i who suddenly find ourselves orphaned, really appreciate being surrounded by so much love and kindness. to jim, tom, everybody else who spoke, their kind words, appreciate that very much. and to the folks at the library here who put this whole thing on. what a terrific job they have done.

we so much appreciate that, too. she did love a party, and she would want this to be a party. this is not a tragedy, this is a celebration. i hope you had a chance to have a look around here. some of you, of course, have been here many times before. i hope you realize, none of this would have been possible without nancy reagan. i do not mean that she was active in fund raising, building the library -- of course, she was. what i mean to say is there would be no ronald reagan presidential library without a president ronald reagan, and there likely would not have been a president ronald reagan, without a nancy reagan. of course, it may not have happened that way, if she was not made of such stern stuff, she may not have made it all the way to being mrs. ronald reagan.

my dad played hard to get a little bit when they were dating, way back when. he had already purchased a ranch not too far from here in malibu, and he loved to go there and ride his horses and buck hey, generally get dirty and sweaty outdoors. not the kind of thing that she is really crazy about, my mother. but she was a good sport, and she wanted to participate in this. if he loved his ranch, well, she was going to love the ranch, too. they would go out there, and she would wonder how she could help. this ranch in malibu, about 700 acres, had a long driveway that led to the house, about a half mile, fences on both sides. so they would go out there and hang out, the ranchers, but she wanted to help, as i said, so she asked him, what can i do to help? did i mention that the fences

lining that half mile driveway were unpainted? so he handed her a bucket of paint and a brush, and my mother painted a miles worth of fence. every post, every plank, both sides. once. [laughter] in that paint job lasted for the duration. now, my father was confident, but he was not an arrogant man at all. it takes a great deal of the to run for president of the united states or even governor of california, for that matter. and her absolute believe in him gave him that chutzpah to run for office. my mother provide encouragement. she guided him, provided a

refuge into which he could repair to gather his strength, she guarded his privacy, she protected him. both possessed great individual talents, but as a couple, they were more than the sum of their parts, and it would be a mistake, by the way, to consider her somehow subordinate to him, just because he was the one usually taking center stage. they were co-equals. they complement and one another. individually, they may have gone far, but together, they could, and did go anywhere. my father was inclined to believe that everyone was basically good, and that certainly, anyone who worked for him was pure of heart and could never be nursing a private agenda. my mother did not share that

inclination. [laughter] and she did not have that luxury. in my mother's world, you are either helpful to her husband, or you were not. i think we all know which side of the equation you would want to be on. since we are among friends, i think we can admit, she was not always the easiest person to deal with. she could be difficult, demanding, she could be a bit obsessive, truly, a royal pain in the ask, when she wanted to be. but usually only so that my father did not have to be. you did not want to get on mom's bad side. particularly by hurting her husband. if you did that, you had earned yourself and implacable foe. if you happen to run into the ghost of don regan sometime, just ask him. on the other hand, yucatan as for a more loyal or dedicated friend. just ask joan rivers, should you

run into her in the hereafter. when jones husband died, she was on the east coast, and joan could not get the corner to release the body, so he could come home to the west coast. joan is a comedian, she did not know who to call. who do you call to pull strings like this? she was acquainted with my mother, but they were not great friends yet. nevertheless, she bucked up her courage and called the white house and got my mother on the phone. joan's husband's body was on the next plane out of town to the west coast, and joan became my mother's body for the rest of her life -- buddy for the rest of her life. i see the faces of many friends here today, people that have known and loved my mother for years. but most of my mother's bodies are gone now. she is among the last of her cohort, the old gang, her generation, and now she is truly

with them. if my mother had one, great talent, it was that she knew how to love, and she loved one man more than the world. in her later years after my father had gone, she used to ask me, whether i thought she would be with him again when she died. i'm not a believer in the supernatural, but i always assured her, wherever that had gone, she was surely going to go there, too. we should all be so lucky to stand up where we have always wanted to be, and today my mother comes to rest on this lovely hilltop with its far-reaching views, next to her beloved ronald reagan library, and by the way, from here, she will be able to keep an eye on things. just saying. no slacking. how long will it be before tales begin to emerge with a petite

chanel spirit roaming the galleries and the halls? just checking to make sure that things are running smoothly. but most importantly, she will once again lay down beside the man who was the love of her life, the one that she loved until the end of her days. they watched the sun dropped over the hills over the west toward the sea as night falls, they would look across the valley. my father would tell her the lights below are the jewels for her. the moon and the stars will turn overhead, and here they will stay, as they always wished it to be, resting in each other's arms, only each other's arms, until the end of time.

♪ >> amazing grace! how sweet the

sound, that saved a wretch, like me! i once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now i see. 'twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved, how precious did that grace appear

the hour i first believed! the lord hath promised good to me, his word my hope secures, he will my shield and portion be as long as life endures.

♪ when we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing god's praise than when we first begun.

♪ >> god of grace and glory, we before you this way our sister nancy, we thank you for giving her to us, her family and friends, give us faith to see in to gate of eternal life so that in quiet confidence we may continue our force on earth, until you're called and we are reunited windows that have gone before, amen. please be seated. today, we are exactly where we ought to be, standing with this family, and one another before the mystery of life and death, say in our prayers and farewell to nancy davis reagan.

the great 20th century rabbi was once asked, what is the most important thing that a religious person can do? his answer was given in one word. remember. that is precisely what we do this day, this is what we do as religious people every time we gather. we hear again and again the stories of encountering god, ancient and cherished, stories that point to god as ineffable mystery, yet still revealed to our fragile and mortal humanity. we were ever god's saving love, for the human race and family, and in that act of remembering, the god of life and giver of every good gift is present to us. in these moments that i speak to you, it is really for one purpose, to gather all the remembrances that you have just heard, those that you carry in your hearts, those of the people of our nation and the world, and

to remind you where to place them all, before the living god, who gave nancy life from the first, and who now receives it back again. who is this god? this is the one who raised of israel out of bondage in egypt, fulfilling ancient promises, and who raised of jesus from the dead and who resurrected life. the gone in whose presence we gather today and to whom we commend the life and soul of nancy is a god of justice. who wants to lift up the poor, the vulnerable, and all on the margins of life. a god of love who wants you to know that in every circumstance of life, that you are beloved, precious, sacred, just because you are you.

this is a god who loves fiercely, who traffics in light and death, and is encountered in every dimension in life, beautiful and complex. nancy knew of this. she knew it because she lived it. in november 2014, i was invited to meet mrs. reagan at her home. there were four of us, mrs. reagan and two of her dear friends. we entered her bedroom where mrs. reagan dressed comfortably, and with a quiet elegance, was partly reclined on her bed. we were there over one hour. i mostly listened, as the three of them told stories from the white house years and beyond, some dramatic, some hilarious, and others that caused us to fall into a companionable silence. turn to the photographs on the bedside table, i asked about several of them, and one by one, she looked at them and spoke about places and events over long years.

finally, i picked up the one closest to her. it was worn and creased, slightly weathered. what about this one, mrs. reagan? she held it in silence, and turning to me, she said, this one is my favorite. the photo was of president reagan, who had begun his dissent into alzheimer's. he, too was mostly reclined. the angle of the photo was their profiles. nancy just above them, their faces very near to one another. nose to nose, eye to eye. it showed a deep tenderness, even in the illness. of all the photos, this was her favorite. she kept looking at it, seemingly transported to another place. i said, mrs. reagan, that is a picture of you living out the

promises of your marriage and fidelity and love. after a brief silence, she said, yes, it is, and handed it back to be placed on the table, nearest to her. poet henry van dyke written, time is too slow for those who wait, too swift or those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice. but for those who love, time is eternity. nancy reagan glanced at truth. she and her beloved ronnie shared a great love. a very great love. that is legendary and could instruct us all. now she knows that eternity is about so much more than time, for it is about fulfillment and

completion. and so important for nancy, reunion, as she is joined with her beloved ronnie. so, last week, as we give thanks for the life of nancy reagan, i want to speak of an even greater love. it is one that we know as christians, and the life, death, and resurrection of jesus christ climaxing at that first easter. each gospel tells of it differently, ironically, undergirding the veracity, providing a stereoscopic view of a truth, unparalleled in all of literature and life. the events of holy week leading to jesus's death sent his closest disciples into fearful hiding and finally brought the strong women to his tomb in the dark of that first easter don. there, god had acted, a

cosmos-altering explosion of divine light and life was released, surging at god's command, breaking the three-day canopy of silence. there jesus rises. from death to new life. and all creation rises with him. in a newly beheld radiance that is without analogy in the risen christ. death is defeated, vanquished, forever. god raised jesus that you and i might share in his resurrection. it is true, we are raised with him as is nancy, who now stands on another sure, and in a greater light with a multitude of saints that no mortal can number. in our last visit with mrs. reagan, i asked, at the end, to

be alone with her. we spoke for a few moments, and then we prayed, giving thanks for life, for the love that god had brought to us, and for strength and grace for the days ahead. now, we all read things, but i have made a life out of trying to read human hearts. in those last moments with nancy, she was at peace. as if she was already leaning into heaven. and now, she has fallen asleep, and awakened in the heart of god. now she knows intimately of what the 17th century anglican priest and poet john dunn wrote in

these closing words. bring us, oh lord, god, at our last awakening, into the household and gate of heaven, to enter into that gate and well in that house where there shall be no darkness nor dazzling, but one equal light. no noise, nor silence. but one equal music. no fears, nor hopes, but one equal possession. no ends nor beginnings. but one, equal in eternity. in the habitation of that glory and dominion, a world without end, amen. nancy, dear, nancy. may you gaze upon our lord, face

to face, may angels surround you, and saints welcome you in peace, and may your heart and soul now ring out in joy to the living god, in whose presence you are held, forever. amen. now let us all join together. our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespassers as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine

is the kingdom and the power, and the glory. in peace, we pray to you, lord god. almighty god who has been together thine elect in one community and fellowship in the mystical body of your son christ our lord. on earth, the highlight and -- thy light and thy peace. granted all who had been baptized into christ death and recommend -- resurrection and to rise to newness in life that through the grave and gate of death we may pass with him to our joyful resurrection. great to us still who are in our earthly pilgrimage and who walk by faith that by holy spirit may lead us in holiness and righteousness all our days. grant thy faithful people part and in peace that we may be cleansed from all our sins and serve the with a quiet mind. grant to all who mourn a short

confidence in thy fatherly care that casting on their grief on the they may know the consolation of thy love. give courage and faith to those who are believed, that they may have strength to meet the days ahead and the comfort of a reasonable and holy hope, in the joyful expectation of eternal life with those they love. help us, we pray, in the midst of things we cannot understand, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection to life everlasting. grant us grace to interest nancy to die never failing love, receive her into the arms of thy mercy and remember her according to the favor which now embarrassed onto that people. granted increasing knowledge and love of the she may go from strength to strength and the light of perfect service in the heavenly kingdom. grant us will all live and die with the hope of the resurrection to have our consummation endless in thy eternal and everlasting glory

and with all thy saints to receive the crown of life which abound does promise to all share in the victory of thy son jesus christ who live with and rated with being the holy spirit, one god, for ever and ever. would you please rise for the commendation. give rest, o christ, to thy servant with my saved, where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing but life everlasting, not only aren't a mortal of the creator and maker of mankind and we are multiple forms of the earth and onto earth shall we return, for so

creators dos thou art and onto dust shalt thou return, or we go down to the dust, yet even at the grave we make our song on hallelujah, hallelujah. give rest of christ to thy servant with by saint, for sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing but life. and to thy hands are merciful savior, we commend thy child and servant nancy. we humbly beseech the, sheep of thine own fold, a lamb of thine own flock, a sinner of thine own redeeming, receive her into the arms of thy mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light, amen.

the blessing of god almighty, the saw there, the son, and the holy spirit. this day and ever more, amen.

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>> p that cometh to me i shall in no wise cast out. he that raised up jesus from the dead will give life to our mortal bodies by his spirit that dwells in us. wherefore my heart is glad and my spirit rejoices, my flesh also rest in hope. thou shalt show me the life. there is pleasure furthermore. through our lord jesus christ, we commend to our almighty god

our sister nancy and recommit her body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. the lord bless her and keep her, the lord make his face to shine upon her and be gracious unto her. the lord lift up his countenance upon her and give her peace, amen. let light officially shine upon her. may her souls and all the souls of the faithful departed to the mercy of god rest in peace. amen. now may the god of peace and our lord jesus christ, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that

which is well leasing in his sight and the blessing of god almighty, the father, the son, and the holy spirit, be upon you and all beloved to you this day and forevermore, amen. ♪ >> god bless america land that i love stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above from the mountains to the prairies

to the oceans white with foam god bless america my home, sweet home ♪ ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, all guests are invited to pay their respects at the interment site and enjoy a luncheon reception in the air force pavilion. thank you.

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>> will will social alliance in legacy of nancy reagan. from "washington journal", this is about 25 minutes. -- c-span's q and a. treating editor of the national journal has covered eight presidencies. the presidential coverage includes eight years with the ronald reagan administration. get set for we later today. what are your most immediate memories of nancy reagan. guest: i always thought that he never would have been president without her. i think history is going to conclude he was a pretty good he was laid back.

she was sometimes anxious. she was also very protective of him. i am one of those who believe he probably would not have been president without her, without her determination, without her drive, without her pushing him and focusing him. and taking care of him. i will tell you a very quick story, one of my favorite stories. in the summer of 1983, midway through his second term, an old friend came to visit them in the family quarters of the white house. he needed an answer whether reagan was going to run for reelection in 1984. at the time he was 72 years old. years after the assassination attempt against him.

nutshell, first leg, her power, her determination to take care of him. amebody once said they were team. and her job was to protect him from everyone else. she did that better than anyone else on the planet. and: and address ronald nancy reagan made together, the first ever national live address where she talked about her "just say no" campaign. what prompted her to get behind that? ♪ guest: every first lady wants a cause. michelle obama is working on childhood obesity and nutrition. up about been beaten all of her clothes, her spending

habits and things like that. she wanted to do something that was more noble and she knew there was an epidemic of drugs and she wanted to do something about that. host: how did your perception as a reporter change? guest: i had been covering the white house a long time and i covered campaign. i only covered the reagan camp for two weeks. stories thatll the she is the power behind the throne, if you don't want to get into the middle of -- you didn't want it between her and nick -- between ronald and nancy reagan. that in the early going were some of the first signs of ,er clout with her husband

ronald reagan's first white house chief of staff's appointment was not popular among the californians. is a loyalist among loyalists. nancy reagan concluded he was not right guy for white house chief of staff. jim baker, for a lot of the -- who a lot of the californians didn't like, because he worked against reagan in 1980, they thought he was a pragmatist. in this case and showed me nancy reagan was the pragmatist. -- it showed me nancy reagan was the pragmatist. host: a veteran washington journalist who covered the white house for newsweek.

your reflections and comments are welcome. keith is a democratic caller in chicago. is a sadertainly it day for many on the conservative side. and all first ladies deserve respect. would like to make a comment and ask a question. so many of us in the middle on , theset just remember

people did nothing about a growing aids crisis. reagan never said the words. .nd they didn't take action friends.s lost how do you explain the disconnect between nancy reagan and ronald reagan, and they are two adult children? their biological children? -- and their two adult children? their biological children? it was set upon ron's mother's death, the best thing i could say about her is she loved her husband. not that she loved her family, not that she loved the country, she loved ronald reagan. host: let's hear from tom

defrank. guest: i would never presume to get in the middle of families. i have aically 20-year-old son who was a sophomore in college. families are tricky. family had all sorts of other problems internally. there was a lot of estrangement between one son, michael, who was adopted. sibling who was the offspring of ronald reagan's first marriage, actress jane marriage tost actress jane wyman. their family situation was tricky. agos told this a long time

and i observed it in those eight years, every politician is centric circles of , aides. advisers, agent the central circle was ronald and there wasan, no room, including children. over the years there were stresses and strains in that family situation, like pretty they look at the ventura firefighters -- a look at the ventura county firefighters. nancy pitt -- nancy reagan's body has been lying in repose

since wednesday. james? caller: good morning to your guest and to c-span. i look at the nancy reagan's life and some snippets. african-american, what stands out in my mind, i wonder what folks are saying about michelle obama. she spent a quarter of a million dollars upgrading the chinaware in the white house. ronald reagan kicked off his visitingial campaign -- of whereworse three civil rights workers were murdered.

thank you. yout: i don't agree with about alzheimer's in the white house. did youple ask me, when ever suspect he had alzheimer's? i didn't suspect until a year after he left office when i had an off the record rick -- off the record interview with him. there are friends who say he has always been a little forgetful. , mrs.o your first comment obama would probably be peter upon that just like nancy reagan was. the notion anti-reagan got a free ride on all of that is not correct.

as a matter of fact, one of the reasons she was very serious about just say no and other things, in addition to it being on the merits for her what she was totally getting beat up on wanted to don and something to soften her image. host: the assassination attempt happenedry early -- very early in his presidency. the first lady played a bigger role after the 81 shooting. it's part of our american presidents series, discussing the aftermath of the shooting. .> we got to the hospital and they looked at me and said,

he has been shot. there were police all around and a lot of noise. there was one desk and one share. i kept wanting to see ronnie. they kept saying, he's alright, but you can't see him. i said, if he's all right, why can't i see him? he was lying there with that thing on his face to help him breathe.

>> did the two of you ever talk about the danger you faced? nancy: you never thought about it. you never think about that. you never think he's going to be shot ever. guest: i remember that day very well. nancy reagan was totally dramatized -- totally traumatized by those events. i agree she became more protective. this was not a political event, this was taken care of her husband -- taking care of her husband. was the saying nancy ultimate body man, saying this as a tribute to her.

there was nobody more ferocious in taking care of reagan. this was at the white house correspondents association dinner. president reagan was to my left, mrs. reagan was to my right. the association was trying to get president reagan's attention, and he was as close as you and i are here. reagan zoned out. the president of the association not taking the cue, mrs. leaned in close and pokemon the right forearm -- and poked him on the right forearm. it was a small thing, by the luck of the drop i was sitting between the two of them on the dais.-- on the

it is inside of how protective she was on big things, small things, and certainly the aftermath. host: let's hear from our public in line. -- our republican line. caller: [indiscernible] it was entrapment. host: that is a little off-topic. we will go next to michigan, tim on the independent line. good morning. to me this is all wasted time. did not do anything

to make the government function and we could be spending more time on pertinent problems and issues that we face today. that is my comment. guest: first ladies are potentially the most powerful unelected people in the government. they have a portfolio without specific duties. that case, the one thing every first lady has in common called pillowally talk. they can influence their husbands throughout the day and put ideas in their head. i covered eight of them.

i don't agree with the notion and other reagan first ladies were a waste of time. >> where would you grade her as a role to an advisor and taking on special projects or causes, such as the noted anti-drug campaign. >> that was an important contribution to the system. very fervent for stem cell research. of ran into the face republican orthodoxy. i think she was pretty strong about that. in terms of her influence on her husband, she was not that much of a policy person. she really wanted to see the

united states reach a deal with the soviet union. i think she was in the majority. she was coming at it from a different angle. his advisers thought it would be good for the world. she thought that would be good for the world. it was the last thing standing in the way of ronald reagan getting a nobel peace prize. i don't feel like dabble in policy much. she demanded to see his schedule and if he traveled to hard there would suddenly be proposed events out of town on that schedule. goes back to my point of

being the ultimate body man or body person. she wasn't. first lady rosalynn carter will be there. i understand former first lady will be there at the funeral as well. let's go to tennessee and it is an on the republican line. guest: -- caller: she ordered china because there was not enough for a state dinner. it was not paid for by the taxpayer. it was a war -- was paid for by the snap foundation.

airs equal to one hour on one. howink you need to add up much the obama is flying on two separate airplanes every time they go on a vacation. her china did not cost the taxpayer anything. >> let me just point out and i have heard questions like this , if people50 years knew how much it cost to transport presidents and first ladies, there would be a national scandal. it is all hidden in various department budget. every president and first lady i

have covered in recent years has done the same. i remember as recently as president george h w bush and barbara bush. at some point afterwards it was the clintons during the clinton administration. thes no different than clintons and george w. bush and laura bush before that. i'm not the one who said she spent $1 million on china. that is no different than their predecessors. >> another reporter giving her and memories. susan page of usa today, nancy reagan gave the personal touch

and usa today.com. this time it is riverside california, ginger. looks like we lost ginger. the final thoughts with funeral this afternoon of the nancy reagan's legacy? guest: she was tougher than her husband. she channeled that toughness into taking care of him. one of the most celebrated instances is she did not get with the former treasury secretary, the former ceo of merrill lynch. reagan came from the treasury to the white house chief of staff. nancy reagan decided early on

that reagan thought that was chief, not staff. a very powerful job, but it is still staff. she thought reagan was not serving her husband's interest. she was enraged after a comment about cleaning up her husband's loopers and gas. - and gap -- husbands bloopers and gaffes. thought he was not serving her husband well. one of my favorite quotes from eight years of the reagan's came from a senior aide. the senior aide said to me it is reagan --me, nancy save for me nancy reagan -- safer for me nancy reagan doesn't know who i am. very s part of a

>> "washington journal" live every day with news that impacts you. coming up tomorrow, a newly released report detailing the 20 times the defense department has acknowledged deploying unmanned spy drones in the u.s. s will weigh in on the privacy implications of those deployments. and the trade policy studies director for the cato institute how be on to talk about presidential candidates are not only criticizing past trade deals but also deals under consideration. then the program director for the alzheimer's disease centers at nih will join us and discuss the passing of nancy reagan who was an advocate of research.

he'll also talk about the current state of the disease and treatment in the u.s. be sure to watch c-span's "washington journal" beginning in live at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. join the discussion. it on thetune into weekends, usually it is authors sharing the releases. tv is thehors on book best television for serious readers. >> on c-span, they can delve into their subject. weekends, they bring you offer after author after author. they spotlight the work of fascinating people. >> i'm a c-span fan for formerfuneral first lady nancy reagan. the service was held at the ronald reagan presidential library in simi valley california, where she is being

buried next to her husband. among those speaking of the service, brian mulroney, former nbc news anchor tom brokaw and the children of the former president and first lady patty davis and ron prescott reagan. this is just over three hours.

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