ONE HUNDRED YEARS – AT 10:24 A.M. ET:  Ronald Reagan would have been 100 today.  You will read many articles about him, some knowledgeable, some not, some favorable, some not.  This is a day when die-hard liberals stay indoors and hope there's something on TV besides the Super Bowl.

I won't write a long philosophical essay here.  Let me just recall for you the only time I saw Ronald Reagan "in person," and up close.  My wife, younger daughter, and I attended a Broadway musical in 1993 called "Crazy for You," based on the songs of George and Ira Gershwin.  We were sitting in the audience, waiting for the show to begin, when in walked Ronald and Nancy Reagan, two friends, and a bunch of Secret Service Guys.  Mr. Reagan had been out of office almost four years.  There was no announcement of his arrival, no "Hail to the Chief" from the orchestra, just a gasp from the audience, followed by wild applause.  It was a mixed New York and tourist audience, so I assume the applause came mostly from the tourists.

The Reagans didn't sit in a special box, but in an ordinary row in the orchestra, with everyone else.  We were directly behind them, about four rows back.  And as the musical proceeded, you could see members of the audience glancing back, trying to catch the former president's reaction to a particular song or line.

It was, however, during the intermission, that we got a glimpse of the Reagan magic.  Mr. Reagan never left his seat, instead greeting each member of the audience who came up to say hello.  He never seemed to tire.  And he had about him a kind of American openness, a graciousness.  The guy seated next to me mentioned, with a grim face, that he'd never liked Reagan policies.  You can always tell the liberals.  They never smile.  This gent could have taken a lesson from the president sitting four rows ahead.

To watch Mr. Reagan interact with his fellow citizens was one of the great pleasures of a lifetime.  He was indeed "different."  He was different because he was us, not above us.  He was part of the American people, and he was proud of it.  And we were proud of him.

February 6, 2011