After hearing Sen. John Pierre's offensive diatribe, I took a break from the bitterness of today's unbearably small politicians and picked up Peter Robinson's "How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life," a vivid account of the speechwriter's years in the Reagan White House. Robinson's recollections of the old cowboy remind us of how a great leader led in grim times. When Reagan became president, the economy was in dreadful condition -- worse by far than Sen. John Pierre's hallucinations of today's reviving economy. A military colossus faced us that could do more than hurt us -- which is the Islamofascists' only hope. The Soviet Union could destroy us.

Reagan reversed the course of history in both departments, economics and geopolitical. Robinson in sprightly anecdotes depicts Reagan as "the chief executive so utterly relaxed and at peace that far from conveying any sense of the burdens of his office, he always made your own burdens feel lighter." Robinson frequently reminds us of the old cowboy's great lines and of his personal charm.

There are in Robinson's book, also, scenes of Reagan's unscotchable resolve. A favorite of mine occurs during the height of Reagan's struggle to cut taxes. He meets with his distinguished Economic Policy Advisory Board. It includes economists of international distinction such as Milton Friedman, Arthur Laffer and the venerable Arthur Burns. Burns, then Reagan's ambassador to West Germany, is part of a cabal in and out of the government prevailing on Reagan to reverse himself on tax cuts.

During this meeting, he asks the president to cut a deal with the anti-tax-cut pols. Robinson quotes Reagan as responding: "You know, Arthur, I can't tell you how much I enjoy these Advisory Board meetings. But you know I made a promise when I ran for office that I wouldn't raise taxes, and I intend to do all I can do to keep it. So every minute you spend in these meetings talking about a tax increase is a minute I don't get the pleasure of discussing something I might actually do."

Then the most genial American president since Ike leaned over the table and said, to his formidable confrere: "Never mention a tax increase in my presence again. Is that clear?"

Presidents are often faced with carpers even inside the White House, but the great presidents prevail. In time, Sen. John Pierre will find that out.