I rate this individual from a foreign perspective, as someone who grew up in Eastern Germany and from all I know about the wall and the end of socialism - it had nothing to do with Reagan - he  was just President at this moment. But it's not just that he had nothing to do with the fall of communism - under his presidency US foreign politics reached a very low point. US intelligence services became engaged in financing covert operations in almost all Central America, especially Nicaragua, that caused hundreds of thousands of deaths in this region. This operations were funded by dubious connections to the Iran government and drug cartels in South America - while iniciating the "Just say no" anti-drug campaign in the US.
I don't know whether some tax cuts justify his actions and hipocracy.

far and away the best of my lifetime. The Great Communicator did a lot of excellent things for this country which we are still benefitting from today.

Only in retrospect did we recognize him as a great President.

The greatest Republican President of the 20th century.
For once America had a president who believed in good morals and principles.

the best

The absolute greatest- GOD BLESS REAGAN. We need a man like him again in office.

a joke. unfortunately, not a funny one.

Not the most honest (Irangate), and a little too old with memory lapses at times. Friendly personality and demeanor. Often given credit for the collapse of the Soviet Union, though he just happened to be president when it fell (pure coincidence).

Good job, Ronnie. You really helped out. The world stepped back from the brink of nuclear annihilation, and the Communists are a museum piece or a bad dream in most places.

Truly, truly, TRULY a great president. Wouldn't let ANYBODY, not a defiant Russia, nor a demo-rat-controlled house and senate, push him OR this country around, and no scandals with interns in the Oval Office.  Man, do we need a man like this again.

Let us discuss Reagan in the light of our present history and conflict with Islam. What was Reagan's way of dealing with the conflict of his time, the cold war with the USSR ? Reagan against all correctness and so called wise counsel called evil evil ,"the evil empire" that is. Reagan did not say "Marxist -Leninist was peace, it's has just been high jacked by some extremist !" The character with which Reagan approached the USSR set into motion what ultimately became the demise of the evil empire. Although pressures and fears threaten to undo you it takes courage to look at a problem squarely in the face and see it for what it is and call it for what it is, this is not an option for determining the proper solutions of dealing with evil. To believe a distorted concept of a problem is a guaranteed way of failing to solve it and it will give that problem compounded strength to confound, entangle and defeat you. The reason Bush has created a "tar baby" for the USA in Iraq in that he's either too afraid or too ignorant to call evil evil and recognize the true nature of the Islam religion and it's cultures. If Bush understood how Islam influence the mind of people, even the Muslims who are supposedly more mildly under Islam's spell, he could make much better decisions and have success. What a pity that Bush did not learn all he could from the Republican's modern day Rock of Gibraltar, Ronald Reagan. It doesn't give me pleasure to criticize Bush either, his burdens and responsibilities are horrible, surely he feels crushed at times. Let us all pray for President Bush

Certainly the best U.S. president since Eisenhower, a real leader who made us feel good and upbeat and who also did much to change the face of the world for the better; there were some dark patches, but overall a successful presidency. How he is missed today! He was a man of deeply held philosophical convictions and innate decency.

Ronald Reagan is both over and underrated, depending on the political persuasion of the analyst. While Reagan was not the perfect second coming of Pericles (the famed philosopher king of Athens) as many of his advocates like to believe, he was not the confused and inept grandfather that his opponents like to portray. An objective analysis suggests that Reagan should be credited for ending the economic morass by reducing the draconian tax burden (even most modern Democrats do not advocate a return to those rates) and regaining control over inflation, increasing public morale by using positive messages and interjecting some Teddy Roosevelt energy, and accelerating the end of the Cold War by essentially calling the Soviet bluff. On the downside, Reagan did make some poor personnel decisions for his early administration (e.g. James Watt), but many presidents do. Of course Reagan had replaced most (if not all) of these people by his second term. The bottom line is that Reagan benefited greatly by excellent advisors and timing, but he still remains one of the better presidents.

The greatest president in my lifetime. And I didnt even vote for him.....the first time. Because of Ronald Reagan the 80's were one of the most prosperous periods in our nations history. The military was once again rebuilt, after Jimmy Carter helped tear it down, just like every Democrat does. And it was once again alright to be proud that your an American. I, like most folks I knew at the time (1979), was a democrat, and was as long as I could remember. After all they are the peoples candidates .... right? They have nothing but your best interests at heart ..... right? So, being a good democrat, I listened to them, and believed them.... every word of it. Well, the democrats scared the living daylights out of me with things like... "hes a warmonger, and will start WW III" and "Hes senile" and I figured that 4 more yrs of Carter (who was the worst president of my life) had to be better than that. But given a little time I seen that EVERYTHING that they said were LIES about him. I have since watched the liberals use the same tactics against every single opponent. Demonize, demonize, demonize thats all they know. Because, if they were to tell the truth about their socialistic dreams of America, they would NEVER get elected!!! I could never go back to the democrat party now. Its been hijacked by all the extreme leftwing nutjob hippies from the sixties. Those people didnt go away, they got jobs in Govt, knowing that eventually they would become senior senators and congressmen and be able to really change the country they have come to hate into the socialist utopian society that they have always dreamed of. I thank Ronald Reagan for showing me exactly which team was the right one to be on. He was the best. His kind comes around once in a life time. And he came around just in the nick of time for me. Thanks Dutch.

I believe Ronald Reagan was the greatest president ever. He came in after Richard Nixon, who destroyed all trust in the Presidency, Gerald Ford, who was an idiot, and Jimmy Carter, who almost destroyed this country in 4 short years. The saddest thing about 1980 wasn't the economy, wasn't the hostages, but the feeling that America's best days were behind it. Ronald Reagan knew this wasn't true. The greatest thing Ronald Reagan did wasn't winning the Cold War, or the longest peacetime economic growth in history, but was making Americans again feel good about being Americans, and restoring America's optimism and sense of pride.

Ronald Reagan gave weapons of mass destruction to Saddam Hussein. His CIA also trained Osama Bin Laden on flying planes.

Maybe I sound unpatriotic, but DOESN'T THAT SOUND A LITTLE GODDAMN MORTIFYING TO ANYONE?

If you lived through this era you experienced a major positive shift in patriotism during his time in office.

The best president although not infalibole. He ended the cold war and got the prisoners out that Carter couldn't casue carter sucks. Although I do not agree wuth the trickle down theory

Of course Ronald Regan is awesome. He was the driving force behind the take down of the Berlin wall!

Pressured the Soviet Union and Communist East Europe, strong leader, morally driven. Yeah, and he had sex and shared contaminated needles with AIDS sufferers, knowitallguy. What a joke. Oh, and just read about the Iran-Contra Affair. It was a noble attempt at rescuing the hostages held in Lebanon. By selling weapons to Iran, they would aid in the rescue. The proceeds went to Nicaraguan guerillas in aiding to oust a Communist dictator. Update: Yeah, Spacewolf, tell 'em. You're definitely up there because of your great spelling and facts.

I hear 'Reagans tax cuts spurred the economy on' well those cuts- mainly targeted to the rich (as opposed to JFK's which where geared to the middle class) gave us some of the biggest deficits of all time (except for Bush two) Also the aggressive interest rate hikes by Paul Volcker during Carters term, and lower oil prices effectively ended inflation. A military buildup also increased economic growth. Reagan by in large was a cold man- who once said 'people with AIDS' deserved the disease. Doltish,a simpleton, stupid, out of the loop, he was one of the dumbest men ever to be Chief executive (other then the present occupant). Then most of the republican Presidents from Harding to Present (perhaps excluding Ike) are nothing but puppets of big business and a racially biased (and now anti gay) right wing.

Reagan's taxcuts revitalized a stagnant economy and made it more profitable for corporations to expand and provide millions of jobs. Most of the major technology corporations (Microsoft and IBM included) were founded during the Reagan administration and got major boosts from his economic policies. Now that the US economy is driven by technology you might at least give Ronnie a little credit for making the market more profitable. I'd argue that Reaganomics were the key factor in the economic upswing in the early 1990s as well.

I think Reagan is unfairly maligned over the AIDS issue. For those who ignorantly say he was "directly responsible" for millions of AIDS deaths, that terminology would have to mean that he was actually spreading the disease by having unprotected sex with millions of people. What you mean is that he was "INdirectly responsible". And that's still debatable. Reagan wasn't lightning-fast in his response to AIDS, but it was a completely new and unheard-of disease. It took the CDC years to even scientifically prove that it was sexually transmitted. Government moves slowly, especially in such an uncertain atmosphere. Reagan could not have predicted it would have become an epidemic, nor could anyone else in his shoes. No president would have acted fast enough to prevent AIDS from spreading. That's just not how politics works.

A man who said those with AIDS should 'suffer'
Hmmm compassion? Yep- for the rich-
A dull witted clown like this was elected 2 times- says something about the intelellect of the majority of Americans.

Put in motion the end of the cold war, started the rollback of communism, nuclear disarmament. If it was big time important to the future of the US / World, he made it a priority and had a positive impact on it. Pushed through the tax cut that freed the capital for the 90's economic boom, put the swagger back in the American people. Reminded us that there was hope, the future was bright.

One of the few Republicans that I can tolerate. To his credit that wall did come down dudes.

Mmmm...yes it's Reagan's fault that people died from AIDs, yup, not their fault for having unprotected sex... Reagan was the right president at the right time during this era, and he did play an important role in the fall of the Soviet Union.

If you were alive and an adult during his time, you were better off. He had no equals. He was a great American. He was America. I am a child of the '80s, and I am privleged to have experienced America with Reagan as president.

Directly responsible for millions of AIDS deaths.

Was a truly great leader for our country and the world.Even to this day we are still enjoying the benefits of his economic policies.

The only reason I gave Reagan 5 stars is because I could not give him 10000!The greatest president in history,a man who restored pride in America,presided over great economic times,helped bring down the USSR,etc.In addition,a man of tremendous personal decency.My political hero and role model.THE GREATEST!!!!

Purpose and results of RWR defense policy: Regardless of opinon we all agree it was his policy,and would not have happened if Carter or Bush had been elected in '80. Was Reagan's buildup a grand scheme to destroy the soviet empire? If No - then what was the Purpose? If Yes - DID it work? Regardless of the roll it played it certainly did not fail, as The Empire did collapse. The contradiction on the part of present day detractors is their claim this would have happened anyway. That's almost certainly true in hindsight, but the 1980's 99.% of the world's population were quite certain the Soviet Union would continue to expand both economically and militarily, regardless of what we did. Remember late in his second term when he started to publicly proclaim communism was at death's door - he was ridiculed for being an idiot. What was the purpose? What if they had not collapsed? Exactly - the purpose of creating the modern U.S. military from the ashes of Vietnam was to make us capable of confronting military expansion. The notion of a grand scheme to cause economic hardship was part of traditional policy of the more bombs we have the less likely we will use them Reagan’s made it clear that we had every intention of using our offensive military to confront Soviet expansion. If we want to analyze the decision to build a military we have to look at the world as it was when the decision was made. Asking if it was Reagan who won it in hindsight negates the reality that: In 1980, the notion that it could be won would have been preposterous. AS of 1980, we had been losing for 40 years. While we screwed around in Vietnam and Korea, the Russians had over run at least 12 formerly sovereign nations, and subjugated several others. If they had decided to take Western Europe instead of southern Asia, we could have done nothing about it. At the time of the first gulf war, would we have been better off with less debt and the army of Vietnam? Or a little more debt and the greatest army in history? Remember that money did not go to nukes, and we only spent a pittance on SDI r&d. It went to planes and aircraft carriers....

literaly the second coming of Christ

He took money away from education, pumped a huge amount of tax payer dollars into defense (a dead investment), and should have been impeached for his involvment in the Iran-Contra scandal. He wqas a horrible leader. The only thing he had going for him was the fact that he was a good public speaker. I find it ironic that he was anti stem cell research, and he died of Alzimers.

Don't know whose worse Bush or Raygun. Poor old ron was just a mouth piece for those who actually ran the country. If you listen to Reagan speak he sounds alot like bush. I really don't think either has ever had an original thought in there heads. They just speak what is written down for them. The Proof is when you catch them off guard with no written down reply's. The Republicans needed someone to act like a president so they picked an actor. By the way I am not a liberal just someone smarter and more caring about other people than most conservatives. All I have to do is claim to be christian and wrap myself in the flag and I bet I could be President. Well as long as I have good speach writers to.

Okay...what to say...I hated him. I don't think there has been a conservative president that was good. His idea for trickle down economics was just pure idiocy. Republicans like to say that he ended the Cold War, BUT HE DID NOT. He just happened to be president during it. He may have gone over there, but IT WAS REALLY GORBACHEV WHO ENDED THE COLD WAR. And even though I don't like Jimmy Carter, he was better than this a$$hole. Don't know how anybody in their right mind could like him.

The Gipper saved America. After the pathetic and weak Jimmy Carter turned the USA into the laughingstock of the world (Iran hostage crisis), ran our economy into the ground (21% interest rates and 11% inflation), screwed up our energy supply (gas lines), and gutted the military and CIA, along came Reagan and with him... morning in America. In two short years, Reagan re-invigorated our military, got the economy moving again which started the greatest economic expansion in history, put the Soviets on notice which led to the eventual end of the cold war, inspired us all with his amazing communication skills, and made us all proud to be Americans again. He was the right man at the right time.

RR was no genius but he knew what had to be done and he did it. He understood that the average person is really any thing but average. His goal was always to give people the chance for opportunity. For this we should all thank him.

Ronald Reagan was the Republicans' FDR. He is the greatest president so far in my lifetime. That does not, however, mean he was perfect. Don't count me among the leftist bashers on this page, but also don't lump me in with the do-no-wrong hagiographers. Reagan ran up the national debt, and his second term was deeply tarnished by Iran-Contra. But he also was instrumental in staring down Soviet-style communism and winning the Cold War, all without firing a single shot. He was the Great Communicator who won the war of ideas. Indeed, "Mister Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" stands as one of the most rousing moments in 20th-century American political history. But his most important contribution was that he made Americans feel proud to be Americans again, after the stagflation, long gas lines, Watergate scandal, and Vietnam hangover that afflicted the national psyche in the 1970s. It truly was "morning in America" again when Reagan came into office and revitalized the American spirit. In our current era of harsh political division, we desperately need another Ronald Reagan who can inspire and unite us with an uplifting vision that sees the good in America and works at every turn to promote it.

The most overrated president of all time. Supported the racism regime of South Africa. Invaded Grenada when they were defenseless. Sent 241 soldiers to their death in Lebanon. Made a secret arms deal with Iran before he was elected

Oh give me a break. I though no one could be worse than this doddering old F**t. Then came George Bush.

If you have lived through his administration you'll know what he did for us. He put pride back into being American. Never again in my lifetime will any liberal shame us into believing this country is not one to be proud of no matter how hard they try or hope. If you have studied the three big presidential historian (usually liberal academia) reviews that are sanctions about every 5 years you will see Reagan near the top... close to Lincoln and well ahead of anyone in the past 50 years including Kennedy. As time progresses these people generally move up the ladder. For instance just recently have we learned more about Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs. An actual phone conversation between JFK and Bobby Kennedy was released where they privately talked about how JFK should handle the Bay of Pigs in response to the news media. Some things are not released until many years later that are classified and even some items simply not found. For those that thought Nixon's foreign accomplishments and the ending of Vietnam would eventually catch up and boost him ahead of his position with these historian's reviews, it hasn't happened and possibly never will. Watergate was just too much.

It takes an actor to fake sincerity. For those of you who think liberals are out of touch with the common man, I'll just recall this man. I find it ironic Nancy favours stem-cell research, when it's the same neo-con vision she inflated which is holding her stem cell hopes back, 16 years later. Hoist your own petard, Nancy?

End of the Cold War, longest economic peacetime expansion, invigorated Americans with patriotism from build up of defense and his optimism, and made the GOP a majority party with control of House and Senate since 1994 with Newt Gingrich and two terms of President Bush, as his heir apparent to the Reagan Revolution. It's still morning in America.

Well, there you go again you liberal dirty rats! Reagan should be number one on this list. This site reminds me of the Bush/Kerry debate online polls where the stinking Democrats voted many times to deceive the public who won the debates. Same thing going on here. Kind of funny that Discovery Channel collaborating with left leaning AOL had Ronald Reagan the "greatest American" all-time a few months ago from votes via phone and online. It tells a lot about the intellectual dishonesty of Democrats and liberals. Thank God Jimmy Carter was not president 1981-1985 during the Cold War and Al Gore and John Kerry during our war on terror. Now you liberal rats- go to Starbucks with your Birkenstocks and smell the coffee.

A good president, I remember watching the news when he died and reporters were stopping people in the street and asking their opinions. Not one person said what I was thinking...and that is we have Reagan gave us the strong military we have today...he spent a lot of money on defense.

I too remember reganomics, or 'let them eat catsup for a vegetable' I used to always say during his terms that I was not a reagan MAN, as it seemed if you were a woman, you were nothing to his administration--he worked actively against every freedom women have come to know in this country. And he ran as a 'family' president, yet his own family hated him at that time, none of them talked to him. I firmly believe he was suffering his altzheimers DURING his presidental term, as there is no other explaination. NOT in touch wtih how the average or lower income American lives, he lived in a hollywood world where even during the depression and hard times he got $500 a week for being a stock actor, a FORTUNE in those days, heck, even today people don't make that much, yet he would tell people they had to 'tighten their belts'--yea, if you are poor and on welfare, how much more CAN you tighten your belt buddy? If you have a minimum wage job, how much more can you tighten?? this guy was a loonie toon, with a super agressive wife. I figure we already HAD a woman prez and it was Nancy behind her hubbys back, pushing pushing pushing him along or maybe dragging him in the end of his terms.

The best president ever.

Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!

Ugh. He negiotiated with terrorists, and let the working class fall behind while the wealthy took all the benefits from the economy.

I don't think Reagan's greatness can be exaggerated. With his economic policies (i.e, tax cuts) he gave us the strongest economy we've ever had. On top of that, he put the Soviet Union out of business bringing hope to not just millions of Americans but millions of people worldwide. Always positive, Reagan made his enemies--both domestic and foreign--look foolish. George H.W. Bush and William Clinton reaped the benefits of Reagan's economic policies. Reagan is probably the fourth best president in U.S. history. Only Washington, Lincoln and perhaps Jefferson deserve more praise as presidents.