Another of President Reagan's close aides has gone to his reward:
Michael Deaver, worked for Ronald Reagan for more than 20 years, was philosophical about being in Reagan's shadow. "My obit will probably say 'Close Reagan Aide Dies,' " he told the Los Angeles Times in 1988. "That doesn't bother me a bit. That's my life."
When Deaver, 69, died Saturday of pancreatic cancer, his obituaries indeed highlighted his longtime association with both Ronald and Nancy Reagan. Historian Douglas Brinkley, who edited the recently released "The Reagan Diaries," says Deaver's "exceedingly close" ties to the Reagans allowed him to "learn how to properly market" the president. "He became one of the greatest crafters of stage designs for a president."
Time magazine dubbed him "the vicar of visuals." Who can forget the backdrop of Reagan calling on Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall" in front of the Brandenburg Gate, or the stunning cliffs in Normandy during the 40th anniversary of D-Day, as Reagan saluted "the boys of Pointe du Hoc" who had scaled them in the face of withering German fire.
Godspeed, Mr. Deaver.
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