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his presidency, the path was paved to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Over this period, campaign speeches, inaugural addresses and State of the Union addresses flowed out of Ken Khachigian’s IBM Selectric typewriter, producing the words and imagery helping Reagan convey his love of our country and its people and his commitment to limited government and individual freedom.

Reagan’s landslide reelection in 1984, winning 49 of 50 states, is something inconceivable today.

Khachigian’s book is also important for its honesty about the human reality constituting the enterprise we know as the American presidency.

While many working Americans see government as public service, for many, it is a matter of getting high on the fumes of power and career advancement, no different than any other job. In a chapter entitled “The Power Seekers,” Khachigian relays a conversation with political columnist Robert Novak, who shared that then-White House Chief of Staff James Baker told him, “Remember, Bob, it’s important what you write about the president; but it’s even more important what you write about me.”

In a book with many moving details and moments, particularly arresting is how a personal crisis for Reagan was salvaged with a very great speech.

Early into Reagan’s second term, a visit was planned to Germany for ceremonies noting the 40th anniversary of the end of World War II. Staff scheduled him to speak at a German military cemetery, only to discover that present there were graves of German Nazi Waffen-SS. Many Jewish leaders, and others, including first lady Nancy Reagan, implored the president to cancel. But the invitation came from German chancellor Helmut Kohl, and Reagan did not want to back out.

The salve would be another speech, in which Reagan would address the Holocaust at the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. The “Fireman” Ken Khachigian was called in to write the speech and stamp out the flames.

Khachigian notes that some say it was Reagan’s greatest speech ever. He talks about life and death, good and evil, and Jews being slaughtered for no other reason than their be- ing Jews. It is a speech with moral clarity the world badly needs to hear today.

For those who care about our nation, and what it can be, Khachigian’s book is an important read.

Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and host of the weekly television show “Cure America with Star Parker.” Her recent book, “What Is the CURE for America?” is available now. To find out more about Star Parker and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators. com. COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS. COM