The meaning of the Reagan Revolution extends beyond tax reform and beyond national defense. It includes a recovery of our national purpose, a strengthening of our social bonds, a reaffirmation of our common cultural beliefs. This is a task that goes beyond politics, let alone the politics of one administration. And that is why what President Reagan did after his presidency remains so definitive of his presidency.
In his own hand, President Reagan wrote to let us know that he was falling victim to Alzheimer's disease. He spoke of other families suffering with the disease. He worried about his wife. Then he chose these words to comfort the nation:
I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.
At that time, I thought to myself, "There you go again, showing us the way." And that is precisely what President Ronald Reagan was about: He showed us -- conservatives, liberals, Americans -- the way. The Reagan Revolution is not complete, and it remains our task to go forth toward that national greatness -- to sustain and enhance and extend what Ronald Reagan did. That is how we can best honor him and his memory.
William J. Bennett was Secretary of Education under President Reagan. He is a Distinguished Fellow of Cultural Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation, the Washington Fellow of the Claremont Institute, a Co-Director of Empower America and the Host of Bill Bennett's Morning in America, a nationally syndicated radio show.