now, nancy reagan. this is about 90 minutes. ♪ >> thank you for your support and the kids for just saying no. thank you. my hope is that the women of the future will feel truly free to follow whatever path their talents and their natures offer them. 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 b

reagan's initials and mr. reagan's initials.ut on his key, right above his initials, in her handwriting engraved, it says, "our first." ms. swain: what were their early married years like? ms. woodruff: well, susan, as we said, they married in 1952. and actually, their daughter, patti, was born in 1952. and she pretty much gave up her movie career. she had been getting some roles fairly steadily. and his career was actually the one that was stalling out at that point, and then the ge offer came along. but it became -- she became the homemaker. she essentially gave up -- she did do a few television roles i think over that first decade of their marriage. but mainly she devoted herself to being his wife, the mother of patti, who was their daughter who was born in 1952, and then i think about six years later, ron, jr., was born. but her family was her life. and she devoted all her time to that. and there's a great little story -- i don't know if you're going to show it later -- where once he went to work for ge, ge had this all-elec

reagan. she was involved in key decisions and making and in campaigning. she made drug use or signature white house issue with her just say no campaign. good evening and welcome to the season answer is first lady thin with an image. let me introduce our guess. 80 woodruff is the comanaging editor coanchor of pbs's news hour. in her early years to cover the billn white house for nbc cannon is the washington bureau chief for real clear. cowrote a book about the reagan the call the new canon. we're going to start this program a little bit differently. we looked at hundreds of hours of video about the president in the library and decided to start with the closing chapter. funeraltage from the when she said goodbye your husband of many years and we thought it symbolized his ownership that you have both covered so much. let's talk more about their relationship. >> aren't believe it was nearly 10 years ago. as we look at that and work our way through this series many of the first ladies were politic

what were the qualities that margaret thatcher possessed that so attracted reagan, and why did reagan admire margaret thatcher's leadership and qualities so deeply? >> well, i think it started out as a matter of philosophy. and in that first meeting, they discussed various issues. i think she showed then-governor reagan, or he had just recently left the governorship, actually, at the time. and that a lot of their ideas about free markets, about government limitations on government and the like were very similar. but also, i think it was her -- i would call it the aggressive or fighting spirit, if you will. the fact that she was willing to stand up for her beliefs, demonstrating that as leader of the opposition at the time. and i think that intrigued him also because he was trying to do the same thing when he was governor. he took over a very difficult situation in terms of the state which was very heavily in debt at the time. he also believed in terms of his views of the federal government, and also as they talked about dealing with communism, there was a certain similarity of views t

then reagan came in and reagan supported him as well.e had a recession, even higher unemployment than the recession in 2009. and reagan backed it. didn't jump all over paul as the fed chairman. and inflation was crushed. and he was a very important part of what went on, along with the growth, but really cracking down on the money supply. paul: kemp thought that was pressing too hard on the brakes. he was constantly fighting. in a matter fact, he wanted paul not to be reappointed, which, of course, reagan did. and he thought that paul was inflation and growth obsessed. that every time he was wrong -- every 10 the growth rate would begin to pick up -- kemp was afraid that paul would crush down -- or raise the interest rates again and spoil the recovery. whathe also thought -- dragon past was not pure kemp law. -- what reagan passed was not -- pure kemp law. somehow, the accelerator never got to down far enough, which is what caused the huge 1983 recession. unemployment rose to almost 11% in one month. guest: i am against term limits becaus

what were the qualities that margaret thatcher possessed that so attracted reagan, and why did reagan admire pamargaret thatc r thatcher's leadership and qualities so deeply? >> well, i think it started out as a matter of philosophy. and in that first meeting, they discussed various issues. you think she showed then-governor reagan, or he had just recently left the governorship, actually, at the time. and that a lot of their ideas about free markets, about government limitations on government and the like were very similar. but also, i think it was her -- i would call it the aggressive or fighting spirit, if you will. the fact that she was willing to stand up for her beliefs, demonstrating that as leader of the opposition at the time. and i think that intrigued him also because he was trying to do the same thing when he was governor. he took over a very difficult situation in terms of the state which was very heavily in debt at the time. he also believed in terms of his views of the federal government, and also as they talked about dealing with communism, there was a certain similarit

reagan.onald reagan, of course, had nearly won the republican nomination in '76 and was expected to win the nomination in '80. but george bush hits the ground running and takes iowa and really surprised a lot of people and makes it seem as though this is going to be a competitive race. unfortunately for him, at that point, the reagan steamroll begins and he winds up winning the nomination handily. and george bush goes to the republican convention really thinking that was it. he was going to release his delegates. he had played his part. and reagan actually comes up with a very unusual plan that perhaps he's going to bring back gerald ford and they would be co-presidents, gerald ford take the nomination and essentially handle foreign affairs while reagan handled domestic affairs. and very quickly, it became apparent that was never going to work. so reagan then turned to george bush, the man who had finished second, and offered him the ticket, and george bush took it in a heartbeat. susan: and

killing reagan is a laudatory book. it praises ronald reagan.you didn't call me when you said you would. that's a fact. >> why do reagan loyalists don't want this laudatory book. >> they want apt deification. they tried to get the book killed before it was published. >> that is a lie. that by the way is a lie. >> that isn't a lie. and we can prove it and you are a hack. >> do so. do so, mr. o'reilly. >> when we come back, bolling and rivera on carly fiorina appearing on "the view" today and a new report about drug overdoses in the u.s.a. watters has some grizzly watters has some grizzly internet stuff moments away. we ship everything you atcan imagine.n, and everything we ship has something in common. whether it's expedited overnight... ...or shipped around the globe, ...it's handled by od employees who know that delivering freight... ...means delivering promises. od. helping the world keep promises. 40% of the streetlights in detroit, at one point, did not work. you had some blocks and you had major thoroughfares and corridors that were just to

killing reagan is a laudatory book. it praises ronald reagan.didn't call me when you said you would. that's a fact. >> why do reagan loyalists don't want this laudatory book. >> they want apt deification. they tried to get the book killed before it was published. >> that is a lie. that by the way is a lie. >> that isn't a lie. and we can prove it and you are a hack. >> do so. do so, mr. o'reilly. >> when we come back, bolling and rivera on carly fiorina appearing on "the view" today and a new report about drug overdoses in the u.s.a. watters has some grizzly internet stuff moments away. (vo) what does the world run on? it runs on optimism. it's what sparks ideas. moves the world forward. invest with those who see the world as unstoppable. who have the curiosity to look beyond the expected and the conviction to be in it for the long term. oppenheimerfunds believes that's the right way to invest... ...in this big, bold, beautiful world. the wolf was huffing and puffing. like you do sometimes, grandpa? well, when you have copd, it can be hard to br

reagan will give you a shot or two. i mean he took a couple shots at mondale, and he didn't like jimmy carter at all. >> jimmy: no. dhe thought he was a litite s word. all right. [ light laughter ] and then we, it's true. >> jimmy: really? >> he called carter a little s word. didn't like him all. but mondale, he would give you a little lip, but he wasn't mean spirited d d he operated more on the shining city on the hill theory. >> jimmy: what candidate do you think is closest to a a ronald reagan? >> you know it's hard to say because i know all these guys and i don't ever indorse anybody or i don't favor anybody. >> jimmy: no, you can't do that. >> but i would say that they all want to imitate ronald reagan. all of them because reagan is so well thought of in this country. >> jimmy: but he also has a a good sense of humor as well. >> reagan was funny. >> jimmy: he was funny. >> after he was shot, and nancy was ushered to the room, before he went into surgery, he goes, "honey, i forgot to duck." [ laughter ] all right. s

and ronald reagan epitomized all those things. >> between '76 and '80, reagan's building a coalitionn fundamentalists, and law and order nixonian people. >> reagan is realizing to sell conservatism you have to do it with a smile. you have got to do it in a way that makes people feel good not scold them. >> we can turn this country around. we can turn our economy around. and the time to do it is now. [ chanting ] >> there are many democrats who are worried that carter is not going to win. so ted kennedy, a senator from massachusetts, decides to take him on. >> today i formally announce that i am a candidate for president of the united states. [ cheers and applause ] >> many democrats believe carter moved too far to the center and he abandoned the traditional ideas of the party. >> jimmy carter and kennedy became the polar opposites within the party and jimmy carter on top of that had a feeling that the kennedys felt that they were above we southerners. >> it is a nasty contest. when someone asks jimmy carter in passing what you think of being challenged by ted kennedy. jimmy carter sa

which is ronald reagan. and reagan comes can back strong and knocks bush out. >> it looked like it could be the end of george bush's political career. he'd not exactly been tough on reagan, but he did say this -- >> he's promising to cut taxes by 30% and balance the budget and increase defense spending and stop inflation all at the same time. it just isn't going to work. what i call a voodoo economic policy. >> but at the convention, reagan shows him as his running mate. >> reagan made the decision himself, ultimately, to turn to bush. >> bush had wanted to leave, but he knew how to be a good team player. >> bush was the quintessential perfect vice president for ronald reagan. he never once articulated a view or a feeling or a policy that was at odds with the president, and they became extraordinarily close, very, very good friends and an extremely good team. >> as ronald reagan's second term was drawing to a close, bush was ready for the biggest moment of his life. but while you'd expect the second in comma

and i'm gonna give it a name." >> he invented the reagan doctrine, not reagan, and now everyone has gotrine. >> [ chuckles ] yeah. >> charles has made it mandatory to come up with a doctrine for every president. >> but even after reagan's 49-state landslide, krauthammer was still not sure what to make of reagan the man, who he met at the white house in 1986. >> he invited me to lunch. i tried to engage him, like, on the contras. "what are you gonna do?" and all of a sudden, what i'm hearing from him is this story about how when he and nancy were in the guest house of president marcos of the philippines, there was a giant spider on the ceiling, and the question was how to get him off without scaring nancy. and i'm thinking, "i don't get it. this is the most successful president in my lifetime. he seems to be out to lunch. what's going on?" >> he says it was only later that he realized what eluded him about reagan. >> he had no need ever to show how smart he was. he knew exactly what i was asking. he didn't want to talk about it. and if you thought he was a dunce, he didn't care, 'cause h

>> reagan, he quickly grew to like him and i think reagan quickly grew to like bush. now mrs. reagan is a whole different topic. mrs. reagan never signed on to the bushes being part of any kind of -- >> rose: she didn't look voodoo economics and all of that. >> and didn't like the fact that bush had run in the primaries -- you know, george bush would put on jogging shorts and run through snowdrifts to get pictures taken to show off he was 55 years old and reagan was 69 so there was an implication that reagan was too old and bush played to that, mrs. reagan never forgot that. mrs. reagan was very tough on mrs. bush. and if it is da wildly unfair. you cannot imagine a more loyal set of people. >> rose: this last question because this is in the news today. it is this notion of what -- of how -- what was the reliship between the father and son, beyond the criticism of cheney and rumsfeld, during the iraq war? >> i think that there was one substantive conversation that we know of at camp david in 2002. george w. bush walked his father through the diplomacy, through the inspections,

reagan -- and mrs. bush. ms.wain: in fact, they were only invited to the white house a few times during the -- is that right? ms. gutin: well, they were only invited to the family quarters a few times. they were certainly at the white house many times for ceremonial occasions. but there was a level of tension between the two of them. and -- ms. swain: and what about between the two -- the first and second ladies. how did they get along? ms. gutin: i think they worked pretty well together. they had the sense that they were working towards the same goal. of course, they also had very divergent interests. nancy reagan was talking about anti-drug measures, and barbara bush was focusing on literacy. so their paths diverged. ms. swain: gary robinson wants to know, besides family, what confidants did barbara have? and did she rely on anyone special to help guide her through political life? ms. gutin: she did count on lee atwater, who had been the head of the republican national committee for a while and was the chairman

in your book, you kind of dove tail into my book killing reagan because barbara bush and nancy reagan along at all. >> no, nancy reagan didn't get along with barbara. i do want to be clear about that i think it was a hollywood thing. i don't know what your theory is. basically, the reagans were the stars. and you had one star and one leading lady and the card was supposed to stay the under card. it's5/ñ ironic and unfortunate because both bushes. >> do you believe that? that nancy reagan didn't like barbara bush. >> yes, i do. >> that's what we write. i'm glad somebody son my side. >> can i give you one story somebody told me who knew the reagans well is that because ronald reagan liked george bush and trusted him. and that he -- when mrs. reagan started talking about bush in a negative way, he would just sit there and wait for it to end. >> all right. the book is going to be a big smash called destiny and power. we appreciate you coming in heresd mr. meacham. and a footnote tomorrow friday so:00 p.m. fox news has a special tied into jon meacham's book. >> i would like to you hear wha

what were the qualities that margaret thatcher possessed that so attracted reagan, and why did reagan admire margaret thatcher's leadership and qualities so deeply? >> well, i think it started out as a matter of philosophy. and in that first meeting, they discussed various issues.im%z you think she showed then-governor reagan, or he had just recently left the governorship, actually, at the time. and that a lot of their ideas about free markets, about government limitations on government and the like were very similar. but also, i think it was her -- i would call it the aggressive or fighting spirit, if you will. the fact that she was willing to stand up for her beliefs, demonstrating that as leader of the opposition at the time. and i think that intrigued him also because he was trying to do the same thing when he was governor. he took over a very difficult situation in terms of the state which was very heavily in debt at the time. he also believed in terms of his views of the federal government, and also as they talked about dealing with communism, there was a certain similarity of v

>> yeah, reagan was like that. reagan had a rhythm.ly moved his body in certain ways and had a rounded, beautiful kind of ambling speech. and if you could absorb that it was certainly helpful in working with him and trying to help him out. >> did he practice? >> oh, yeah, like mad. >> he did? >> oh my goodness, he did. if it was an unimportant speech he had already read it and okayed it but right before he gave it he read it again. if it was an important speech he was down there in the rehearsal room doing it again and again. the new book is called "time of our lives." it's a collection of your essays. what i love the most tim russert once said but the only predictable thing about noonan's column is its unpredictability. i told you one of the things i love most is a paragraph where it says our elites are lucky people. born in the suburb, went to yale and run the world from a desk which means great question immigration is going to be decided by what a bench, don't knowt is to to earn your space. embrace a new country who don't know what

which is ronald reagan. and reagan comes can back strong and knocks bush out. >> it looked like it could be the end of george bush's political career. he'd not exactly been tough on reagan but he did say this -- >> he's promising to cut taxes by 30% and balance the budget and increase defense spending and stop inflation all at the same time. it just isn't going to work. what i call a voodoo economic policy. >> but at the convention, reagan shows him as his running mate. >> reagan made the decision himself, ultimately, to turn to bush. >> bush had wanted to leave, but he knew how to be a good team player. >> bush was the quintessential perfect vice president for ronald reagan. he never once articulated a view or a feeling or a policy that was at odds with the president, and they became extraordinarily close very, very good friends and an extremely good team. >> as ronald reagan's second term was drawing to a close bush was ready for the biggest moment of his life. but while you'd expect the second in command

reagan grew to like bush. mrs. reagan never signed on to the bushes. did not like the fact that bush had run in the primaries. george bush would put on jogging shorts and run through snow drifts to get pictures taken to show off that he was 55 years old and ronald reagan was 69. there was an implication that reagan was too old. bush played to that. it is wildly unfair. you cannot imagine a more loyal set of people. charlie: this last question is in the news today, is this notion of what was the relationship between father and son? beyond the criticism of cheney and rumsfeld during the iraq war. jon: i think there was one substantive conversation that we know of at camp david in 2002. george w. bush walked his father through the diplomacy, inspections, everything. the former president said, if the man will not comply, you have to do what you have to do. when the operation was launched in march of 2003, there was an exchange of letters between the men. the letter from father to son is incredibly warm. ratifying the course. it says you are now facing a se

i write about reagan after reagan nostalgia kickedcaked in which interestingly enough did not happenfter he left the white house but was 2005 to 2006 and certainly after his death in 2004. there is athere is a lot about him in the book but what i call the greatness game, men and women coming forward running for the presidency and trying to reach for greatness but also to make this a better place. charles: you are a prolific author. why this book at this time? did you feel that the country needed this book? i know you were feeling nostalgic. was there something special? >> i finally did what people have been asking me to do, do,do, went through 30 years of essays, commentaries, columns, op-ed's command was shocked to find that every thing that had been preoccupying me was everything that was going on right now, the same themes. america is still in some new way trying to find its place in the world, and it is a strategic vision. charles: the leader of the world anymore, or is that beginning to diminish? we spend more time talking about vladimir putin then president obama. >> and the pr

ronald reagan. reagan learned it from the movies. [laughter] >> he's afraid to take power. it's a reflection of the learning curve that all presidents go through that realizes at the time, don't do anything, i'm a president and i have to to lead. it's a great moment of courage for him. he felt guilty about the massacres that occurred and he actually changed and we see that it was actually a big mistake of the 1990s is his data. there's information that osama bin laden has declared war and george w. bush failed to lead. it's partially their fault and partially the fault of the press and reporters. nobody's asking questions about terrorism. nobody's asking question about osama bin laden. he learned from al gore likes to sleep naked. and that george w be bush likes to eat tex-mex but we were in massive collective denial. >> bill clinton's talk about his regrets many times. >> thank you so much. [applause]. thank you all always for coming and being our wonderful members and his book is on's on sale. thank you all so much. good night. [inaudible conversation] now on booktv profe

>> it's something ronald reagan knew. i bet he would have been number one on the list because largely our economy would have been growing much faster and had been much stronger. also he had the big defense build-up that made the country safer. >> e-mac, there is a strong economic part of this. reagan was a powerful president, top of the list. he had a string of victories around the world starting with the demise of the soviet union that empowered the economy of the world. places like eastern europe and russia itself were churning stuff out that they couldn't before. >> you're right. the president is notably down beat constantly when he talks about america. he says, quote, america is chronically dissatisfied with itself. it's a self-critical experience. this is a finger wagging outlet the president had about america. the idea of american exceptionalism is centered in his own personal life experiences. listen. he's had a disregard for the moral purpose of america. he's had a disdain for it. to legitimize iran and try to mak

reagan's mic off? >> mr. breen -- >> can you turn that microphone off, please? >> i am paying for this microphone! >> with that, reagan accompanied the four candidates to the edge of the stage as they left, a gesture of protest against the newspaper and george bush. when they left the gymnasium, the candidates were not happy. >> i'll never understand george bush's attitude, as long as i live. they stiffed us, that's what they did. no doubt in my mind, bush and the "national telegraph" are in this together. >> people say, like, i can't believe what national politics is now. come on! meow! that was a very nasty fight in 1980. and in the end, ronald reagan did pick george bush to be his vice presidential running mate that year. and vice president under reagan is the job that george bush had for the next eight years. and 1988, it was time once again for the republicans to pick another presidential nominee. and again in 1988, both george bush and his nemesis, bob dole, decided they would go for it. and in that year, in 1988 in iowa, first contest is iowa, right? in i

mom, i'm a reagan. something good happens, that just means something bad is right around the corner. (henry laughs) good motto. served me well. smart kid. of course i'm excited. i'm thrilled. i'm just worried about money. i don't want her graduating with a $100,000 debt. it's no way to start a life. and where is your ex-husband in all this? i have spoken to jack, and, of course, he's gonna do what he can, but he just bought a new home, and his money is vested in the new firm, and it's not liquid, and... i don't like the guy. okay, can we not get into that right now? you know... i shouldn't have to remind you that everyone i know named reagan worked at college, helped pull their weight. i know, and nicky will, too, but it's ten times more expensive now, dad. i know that. i'm thinking about going into private practice. there are advantages, not just financial. with nicky leaving, it'd be a good opportunity for me to spread my wings, have new challenges. outside your old man's purview? actually, i go back

it praises ronald reagan. yet you didn't call me when you said you would, that's a fact. >> why do reagan loyalists not want this -- >> because they wanted a deification. you play right into the hands. >> that is a lie. that, by the way, is a lie. >> that isn't a lie. we can prove it. you are a hack. >> jonathan, you can tell that george will knew exactly how this was going to go. and had his game plan, i'm going to sit here. i'm going to let the angry man be the angry man. i'm going to get in the words where i can and those words are going to include "that's a lie." >> repeatedly. the george will is a hack by bill o'reilly's standards, bill o'reilly is a liar by george will's standards. it's more fun to watch than referee. george will is an intelligent guy who knows a lot about the reagan administration. and bill o'reilly is an entertaining. >> yeah. and, david fromme, what is the -- how do republican viewers of that kind of segment divide as they watch it? >> very first question. that is an interesting one,

reagan was treasury secretary. with considerable pride, they presented this deficit reduction resolution. after an hour and half, we came out scratching our heads. we could not believe it. this massive deficit ballooning up all over the place. here we were, 15 men and women sweating bullets to deal with severe fiscal problems and these folks in the white house just did not seem to have a clue as to why this was a fiscal policy -- >> [indiscernible] what bruce babbitt keeps trying to goad you into saying. mr. dukakis: i like bruce a lot but i also believe that we and i mean the american people camera -- the american people cannot let themselves get trapped. what david stockman told us they would do, which was to create such a fiscal mess that we would have to attack important method 40's. i won't let myself be put in that box. i don't think the american people ought to be put in that box. i will not balance the back of this on people who are on $9,000 or $10,000 social security. the social security trust fund ought

the tagline is, re-elect ronald reagan. i said, are you kidding me that?hat is blatant, blatant and good. you may think it's corny, but let's face it, you think everything's corny, okay, but if you can get an image like that it really matters. >> ed rollins was reagan's campaign manager. >> two kinds of monitoring you make in a campaign. one is an intellectual argument and one is an emotional argument. >> when beckle ran mondale's campaign, he saw this ad. >> where's the beef? >> wendy's was trying to convince people their hamburgers had more beef. >> where's the beef? >> you were home watching tv with your girlfriend and saw this ad. >> yeah. i saw the ad. my girlfriend said to me, that reminds me of gary hart. what's he all about? all of a sudden, it clicked. >> this is not polling, just a comment from a girlfriend. >> that's right. >> you probably liked her too much. >> no, no. i didn't actually. that triggered in my mind something that made some sense, we could put on the next poll. we put it on a poll, it tested well. >> so mondale used it in a debate

. >> host: so ronald reagan's big tempt, dead? >> guest: well, it could be revived but in a different way. ronald reagan was a big tent republican. he had a little bit for everybody. of course, back then the cold war was a big thing, too, and he was a good, staunch, anti-communist as well. but what happened in the interim is you had the rise of two factions, two groups. first of all, the religious right. and, again, this was the moral majority. it was in the late '70s and the 1980s that a lot of activists started to mobilize religious people who were not bringing in necessarily just limited government, a limited government philosophy, they were bringing in we want a social agenda that we want to push. another group came in as well starting in the '70s and the '80s, and those were the neoconservatives. these were, basically, disillusioned liberals and leftists who said, well, that whole approach doesn't work terribly well. we think the republicans have better ideas, but we are social engineers from the right. we're not limited gove

ronald reagan. reagan learned it from the movies. [laughter] >> he's afraid to take power. it's a reflection of the learning curve that all presidents go through that realizes at the time, don't do anything, i'm a president and i have to to lead. it's a great moment of courage for him. he felt guilty about the massacres that occurred and he actually changed and we see that it was actually a big mistake of the 1990s is his data. there's information that osama bin laden has declared war and george w. bush failed to lead. it's partially their fault and partially the fault of the press and reporters. nobody's asking questions about terrorism. nobody's asking question about osama bin laden. he learned from al gore likes to sleep naked. and that george w be bush likes to eat tex-mex but we were in massive collective denial. >> bill clinton's talk about his regrets many times. >> thank you so much. [applause]. thank you all always for coming and being our wonderful members and his book is on's on sale. thank you all so much. good night. [inaudible conversation] many of this year's