Mitt Romney Announces Endorsement From Officials Who Served In The Reagan Administration

Today, on the very day of the final Republican 2012 debates, Mitt Romney has announced that he has gathered an impressive list of people who worked in the Ronald Reagan Administration during the 1980s who are all endorsing Romney for President in 2012. Here's the list of Reaganites For Romney below: 

Members of Reaganites for Romney:

Ambassador Gerald P. Carmen – Ronald Reagan 1980 Campaign; Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration from 1981-1984; U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva 1984-1986

Attorney General William Barr – Domestic Policy Staff 1982-1983

Lee Casey – Office of Legal Policy 1986-1990

Jimmy Gurulé – Assistant United States Attorney, Deputy Chief of the Major Narcotics Section (Los Angeles) 1985-1989

William Kilberg – President of White House Fellows 1982-1983; Appointed by Reagan to Chair of White House Fellowships in 1983

Raymond Ludwiszewski – Special Counsel to Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division 1985-1987; Associate Deputy Attorney General 1986-1991

Judge Michael McConnell – Assistant to the Solicitor General; Member of the Presidential Intelligence Oversight Committee 1988-1990

John McGinnis – Office of Legal Counsel 1985-1987; Deputy Assistant Attorney General 1987-1991

David Rivkin, Jr. – Legal Advisor to the Counsel to the VP; Deputy Director, Office of Legal Policy 1987-1993; Associate General Counsel of the Department of Energy; Associate White House Counsel

Jay Stephens – Principal Assistant Deputy Attorney General (DOJ); Assistant US Attorney; Assistant Watergate Prosecutor 1973-1986; Deputy White House Counsel 1986 – 1988; US Attorney for the District of Columbia 1988-1993

Ambassador Rich Williamson – Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs 1988-1989; Special Assistant to the President and Deputy to the White House Chief of Staff 1981; Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs, the White House 1981-83; US Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency and the UN Offices in Vienna, Austria 1983-85

Fred Cooper (GA) – Elected Chairman of the Republican Party of Georgia in 1981; Raised money during the 1980 campaign and was on the 1984 Georgia Finance Committee

Marty Connors (AL) – 1980 Communications Director for the Republican Party of Alabama; 1984 Executive Director of the Alabama Republican Party and oversaw the Alabama Reagan re-elect

Attorney General Bill Schuette (MI) – Elected in 1984, served as Member of Congress during the second Reagan administration.

Republican National Committeeman Saul Anuzis (MI) – Elected as the youngest delegate to the 1980 Republican National Convention in Detroit; and served as third vice chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, organizing youth efforts during the Reagan administrations

Ambassador Peter F. Secchia (MI) – Michigan’s Republican National Committeeman, and Vice Chairman of the Republican National Committee during the Reagan Administration, elected in 1980 and re-elected in 1984 and 1988.

Ronna Romney (MI) – Republican National Committeewoman from Michigan, serving from 1984-1992

Curt Hames (IA) – Iowa activist for Reagan

Frank Severino (IA) – Reagan volunteer in Iowa, late father-in-law served as Reagan Iowa Campaign Manager

Jim Click (AZ) – Arizona Finance Chair, 1980 and 1984

Ambassador Glen Holden (CA) – Former Ambassador to Jamaica

Ambassador Barbara Barrett (AZ) – Deputy Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration; also served as Vice Chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board, the President’s Advisory Committee on Trade Negotiations, and the Board of the Administrative Conference of the US

Fred Balitzer (CA) – Consultant to the Secretary of the Department of Interior;  Vice Chair - Javits Fellowships, Department of Education;  Spec. Amb. - Brunei, Department of State

Ambassador Rockwell Schnabel (CA) – Former Ambassador to Finland

David C. Fischer (VA) – Special Assistant to the President, The White House; UN Human Rights Commissioner, Department of State; US Commissioner, International Boundary Commission

Joshua A. Muss (VA) – Executive Director, Property Review Board. Office of the President

Jack R. Stevens (VA) – Executive Director (1986-1988) and Western Regional Director (1983-1986), Citizens for America

Jerry Fox (FL) – Associate Administrator, General Services Administration; Associate Archivist (Management), National Archives

The Honorable Dodie Truman Stallcup (UT) – Director of Correspondence and Volunteers at the LA Headquarters and Transition Office, '79-'80; Special Assistant to the President and Director of Special Presidential Messages for the Executive Office of the President '81-'84; US Commissioner for Children, Youth, and Families and Chief of the Children's Bureau at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, '84-'89

Lindy Fekety – Secretary to Associate Director, Office of the President-Elect:  Secretary to Special Assistant to the President, Personal Office of the President - The White House:  Administrative Assistant to Director, Presidential Personnel - The White House:  Director of Administration, Citizens for America

John Agresto (NM) – Former Acting Chair of the NEH; Former President/Chancellor of three colleges and universities; President of John Agresto & Associates

Susan Alvarado (VA) – Assistant to the Vice President for Legislative Affairs, Member, Board of Governors, U.S. Postal Service

Allen K. Bahn (MD) – Co-Coordinator, Ethic Vote - Reagan/Bush 1980, 1984

Bo Denysyk (MD) – Vice Chair, Civil Aeronautics Board; Member, Presidential Advisory Committee on Trade Negotiations; Deputy Administrator, Department of Transportation/FAA

Mitt Romney has been a long time supporter of Reagan. Mitt Romney's father, George Romney, was a supporter of Ronald Reagan. You can view of photo of them together below:

I leave you with a video where Douglas Brinkley, author of The Reagan Diaries, stated during the 2008 Presidential election that he believes there is a a bit of the Reagan shine on Gov. Romney: 

England's Tribute To Ronald Reagan

As a mentioned in an earlier post, England has erected a statue of Ronald Reagan and placed a plaque recognizing the 40th president's role in ending the Cold War near the U.S. Embassy in Grosvenor Square. 

I thought some of you might enjoy watching a brief clip of  former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Foreign Secretary William Hague's tribute to the Ronald Reagan:  

England Will Celebrate The 4th Of July By Honoring President Reagan

England will be honoring Ronald Reagan today by erecting a statue of the Gipper in near the U.S. Embassy in Grosvenor Square:

An $800,000 statue honoring former President Ronald Reagan is set to be unveiled on Independence Day, joining monuments to Franklin Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower in the heart of the British capital.

At a time when the much-celebrated "special relationship" between the U.S. and Britain is widely seen to have frayed, about 2,000 people are expected at the ceremony. Organizers say that is about ten times the typical crowd for such an event. 

Former U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who declined an invitation to Prince William's recent wedding due to her poor health, is said to be "determined" to attend. Now aged 85, the "Iron Lady" rarely appears in public. 

Nancy Reagan will be represented at the ceremony by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who will give the keynote address. U.S. Ambassador Louis B. Susman and a congressional delegation led by House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy are also due to attend on Monday.

Reagan Foundation executive director John Heubusch told msnbc.com that roughly $800,000 had been raised from private donors for the sculpture, with around 40 percent of the funds coming from people in the U.K.

England will also will not only be honoring him but the impact he had on the world as a promoter of freedom and liberty:

Sculpted by Charlotte, N.C.-based artist Chas Fagan, the 10-foot bronze will stand near statues of Eisenhower and Roosevelt outside the U.S. Embassy in Grosvenor Square. A plaque will recognize the 40th president's role in ending the Cold War.

The ceremony will be part of a European tour celebrating Reagan's 100th birthday. It will be followed by a black-tie gala at London’s historic Guildhall – where Thatcher hosted Reagan upon his return from a visit with Mikhail Gorbachev in 1988.

Although July 4th is a day to celebrate America's independence from England, it is really a holiday devoted to freedom. Ronald Reagan had an unwavering belief that freedom is a right to be enjoyed by all of mankind because "freedom is one of the deepest and noblest aspirations of the human spirit."

Yet, while Reagan encouraged each of us to remember the important concept of freedom during the July 4th festivities, he also encouraged us to have fun in our celebration:

Have a safe and wonderful Fourth of July!!!

Did Ronald Reagan have Alzheimers While In Office?

Ronald Reagan's son, Ron Reagan, has recently published a memoir about his father titled, "My Father at 100: A Memoir."  The book has caused quite a stir in the media and among conservatives because in his book, he claims that his Dad had Alzheimers as early as during the 1984 Presidential elections: 

He describes how his father became uncharacteristically lost for words and looked "bewildered" during the 1984 presidential debates with Walter Mondale.

He says his father may have suspected Alzheimer's in 1986 when he was flying over familiar canyons north of Los Angeles and could no longer remember their names.

In 1989, the year of Ronald Reagan's leaving office, doctors operating on him after he was thrown from a horse while visiting friends in Mexico opened the president’s skull to relieve pressure.

They "detected what they took to be probable signs of Alzheimer’s disease." But no formal diagnosis was given.

Ron claims that Ronald Reagan had Alzheimers during his presidency has been floating around every since he left office. In 1997, three  years after Ronald Reagan announced that he had the disease, all four of the White House doctors during Reagan's Presidency said Ronald Reagan never developed Alzheimer's while in office. Furthermore, Alzheimer’s specialists have consistently been debunking this myth as well. 

Ron's son is just the latest person to bring up the old accusation all over again. However, Ronald Reagan could not have had Alzheimers at the time his son, Ron, claims he did. US News clearly shows that his claims do not add up to the facts. 

My family had the special opportunity to meet him approximately a year after he left office. You can see our family photo with Ronald Reagan below: 

My family with Ronald Reagan.  I'm the handsome red head in the picture.

While I'm not a medical specialist, based on my memory of meeting with him, it did not appear to me that he had Alzheimer's. I was young at the time when I met him but I recall that he he was alert and attentive when he conversed with us. He walked around the room with no trouble. He told us a few funny stories about life as a President. If he had it, I didn't see it.