Fetch The President, The Pope, And The Prime Minister: Three Who Changed The World Conceived By John OSullivan Distributed As Publication

entertaining read if you lived through some of this history as it gives you new insights into the impact that these three leaders had on the world stage at a particularly dramatic point in modern history.
Each of them is an interesting character but where the book shines through the best is when it describes the relationships between them.
Most of this centered around Reagan and his relationship with Thatcher was warm and supportive as they saw in each other an ally and a friend.
Enjoyed tremendously. Much information on events in thes such as the Falklands War and SDI to which I paid only partial attention at the timechildren, full time job, and death of both parents.
Succinct summary of various social "revolutions" of thes and thes and their consequences, Particularly valuable on the post Vatican II Catholic Church, Fascinated with reading about exactly how the cooperation among the three brought about the end of communist domination of Poland and consequent liberation of eastern Europe.
Favorite quote from Margaret Thatcher, "It was easy for lesser men to underrate Ronald Reagan" as seen in barbed comments by Tom Brokaw, Tom Wicker and Anthony Lewis of the New York Times, and historian Henry Steele Commager.
Well written and interesting, this book is the story of three great leaders: Thatcher, Reagan, and John Paul II, Written by an former editor at National , the story of the the Big Three is told through a decidedly conservative point of view, which I am fine with since so much in the field of history is infected by Marxism and Progressivism these days.
Essentially, Reagan, Thatcher who died just a few days ago and the Pope were courageous, optimistic, and firm, They were clear in their convictions, willing to stand up for what they believed in, and formed by a deeply Christian worldview.
Perfect Of course not no leader is perfect, But were they pretty damn good Yes they were,

I remember many of the events in this book, but hazily, as though through a glass darkly to steal a phrase.
I was very young during thes, but I do recall most of the big events this book chronicles, Equally interesting to me was the survey of thes, which were a horrible decade of rising crime rates, inflation, stagnation, and cultural malaise.
It's no wonder that someone like Reagan appealed to

the majority of Americans, My first impression of him, when I was ten years old, was the thought that he could keep me safe, I hung on to that belief all the way through my high school graduation, when President Reagan left office, I think, for many in my generation, we feel about Reagan the way our parents felt about John F, Kennedy: we just loved him, despite his flaws and failings, I remember being a college freshman in a world history class and having my professor become absolutely apoplectic about Reagan, That was in. He still engenders the same Pavlovian response for liberals today, That's part of why I love him so,

One very interesting point in this book was about the behavior of one Edward M, Kennedy toward the Soviet Union, I knew that he, like so many who shared his politics going all the way back the the Russian Revolution, was naive about the USSR, but I had no idea how he actively worked to undermine the President while Reagan negotiated with Gorbachev.
Pathetic, and not the least bit surprising,

So a good book about the great events of a few decades past, Most histories about this time period are written from a liberal point of view, It was refreshing to read something positive about the successes of conservatism for a change, While we may disagree with their beliefs and politics, there is no denying that these three were among the most important and influential figures of theth century, and had a central role in the down fall of the Soviet Union.
I would like to thank Michael Whalen for introducing me to this book : Great book on the three most important people of the second half of theth century.
Reagan with the help of John Paul II and Margaret Thatcher end the Cold War with out becoming a shooting war, Yes he was the major player in ending the Evil Empire, Gorbachev does deserve some praise for the role he played but it is interesting that as the head of a totalitarian government you receive praise for not shooting your own people but you must give credit where credit is due.
Sure many of my friends will say why of course Costello is a fan of Reagan, but I must admit I was never a huge Reagan fan when he was alive.
I never voted for him, I always thought he never went far enough to reduce the size of government, I only saw him one in person at a big dinner at McCormick place early in his first administration, Good introduction to researching Margaret Thatcher, it's a nice start but that's pretty much it, 'The President, the Pope and the Prime Minister, John O Sullivans engaging account of that great period of hope in thes, must warm the heart of any decent person.
We few, we happy few, who did not buy the fellowtraveling garbage of the majority, never expected to see such wondrous times.
As I read through this committed, generous account, I recalled all those moments when my own spirits lifted higher than I had ever thought possible.
I recollected an encounter with Lech Walesa on a freezing morning in Gdansk, when he was still one small man against an empire, fortified by an unconquerable faith.

I remembered an even colder day in Prague when that impossibly lovely city suddenly recovered its twicebetrayed liberty, And I called to mind the almost inexpressible delight of seeing thousands of Communist Party membership cards hurled into trashcans and onto bonfires in Moscow in August.
OSullivan is also good on the creepy machinations of Western fellow travelers who actively sold or gave themselves to the wrong side and should never be allowed to forget it.
Yet they have forgotten it, and they got away with it, and they continue to be powerful in Western nations, which is what is wrong with this celebratory account of a victory that has drained away.
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Read the full review, "Greatest Hits of the Eighties," on our website:
sitelink theamericanconservative. co This is a good book about three historically great individuals, Just reading about these three giants was a pleasure, and it has renewed my desire to read the enormous and definitive biography of John Paul II "Witness to Hope.
" However, there is nothing groundbreaking in this book, it relies heavily on already existing works about Reagan, Thatcher, and JPII, The writing itself is nothing sensational, but it is satisfactory, It never hurts to be reminded of how much Reagan and Thatcher changed the policies of their governments and to what tremendous effect.
It is stunning to read about the political state of affairs in the late seventies, both domestically in the US and the UK, and globally.
The Soviets were ascendant, most of the western intelligentsia accepted and even welcomed the permanence of a communist USSR, The West was demoralized.years later the Berlin Wall fell and freedom swept across eastern Europe into Russia itself, Reagan, lampooned as a warmongering buffoon, was actually committed to the total eradication of nuclear weapons to such an extent that American military leaders were alarmed as was Thatcher.
His strong support for missile defense was rooted in his revulsion at the idea of mutually assured destruction,

A powerful lesson is to be learned from this history, Reagan built up the American military and talked tough to the Russians, Derided as a cowboy and a destabilizer, in the end he provoked no war, but won one without firing a shot the Cold War.
He was more responsible than anyone else for bringing democracy to hundreds of millions in eastern Europe, Contrast this with the Clinton Administration, Eight years of reducing America's military and of pandering to a corrupt Yeltsin not only failed to solidify the freedoms Reagan helped unleash, but in fact enabled the establishment of a kleptocracy that has now given birth to Putinism a development unfriendly to America and especially to freedomseeking Russians.
Don't expect to hear about that on CNN though, Unfortunately much that was gained has been lost, Peace through strength. .