Ronald Reagan: The Power of Conviction and the Success of His Presidency

by Peter J. Wallison

An icon of the twentieth century, Ronald Reagan has earned a place among the most popular and successful U.S. presidents. In this compelling firsthand account of Reagan's presidency, Peter J. Wallison, former White House Counsel to President Reagan, asserts that Reagan took office with a fully developed public philosophy and strategy for governing that was unique among modern presidents. "I am not a great man," Reagan once said, "just committed to great ideas." Wallison shows how Reagan's unyielding attachment to certain key ideas -- communicated through his speeches -- created a cohesive administration and revived the spirit of the nation. Reagan limited his personal efforts to those issues he considered central to his presidency, choosing to delegate to his cabinet and staff those matters he viewed as secondary to his agenda. This leadership style was responsible for Reagan's accomplishments, but also for his missteps and the criticism he received from his detractors. During his presidency, Reagan experienced both enormous success -- in the unprecedented growth of the economy, the first arms reduction agreement with the former Soviet Union, and the revival of confidence in America -- and near disaster in the Iran-Contra affair. In Ronald Reagan , Wallison describes what it was like to be on Reagan's White House staff and how Reagan's attachment to principle produced both the best and worst days of his presidency.

336 pages, Paperback

First published April 13, 2004

About the author

Peter J. Wallison is an American lawyer and the Arthur F. Burns Fellow in Financial Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. He specializes in financial markets deregulation. He was White House Counsel during the Tower Commission's inquiry into the Iran Contra Affair. He was a dissenting member of the 2010 Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, frequent commentator in the mass media on the federal takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the financial crisis of 2007–2008 and wrote Hidden in Plain Sight (2015) about the crisis and its legacy.

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wallinson offers insight into President Reagan’s management style and how the Iran-Contra scandal posed significant challenges to the Administration. Wallinson offers a view of Ronald Reagan which belies the image of “the dumb actor,” and present Reagan as a well read man who was guided by core principles, but deferred managerial functions to subordinates, as with Iran Contra. The book takes to task Reagan biographers and offers a response to Reagan’s critics, while serving as a personal memoir of Wallison as White House Counsel.

Wallison’s account was interesting in that he understood the intricacies of advising a government executive on questions of executive privilege and dealings with the press and other officials. My concern about the book was Wallison’s role as counsel, and his obligation to maintain client confidences and secrets.

Can a former staff attorney serve faithfully as a biographer, memoir writer, and counsel — and perform those roles credibly?

A loyal and ethical attorney is obligated to protect client secrets. In contrast, an author has an obligation of unfettered candor to a reading audience. Striking a balance between these roles is difficult and perhaps impossible and Wallidon’ account, though informative and based upon first hand knowledge, must be considered to be a form of advocacy.

[Ed Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author was White House counsel under Donald Regan and served for the year that the Iran Contra Scandal was coming to light. The parallels between that time and current events are evident, and also demonstrate that the partisanship and divisiveness endemic in Washington is not limited to our current time and place. The perspectives on Ronald Reagan as a person, manager, leader and politician are interesting and insightful. If you are a Reagan fan, Wallison's opening of the curtain on the administration will be an interesting read.