Recent presidential history gives us little reason to relax on Presidents’ Day

On the occasion of Ronald Reagan’s death nearly 18 years ago, we reviewed on this page the accomplishments and ups and downs of the 40th president and his impact on the nation and the world. We criticized some of his domestic policies, particularly his administration’s inattention to those in need, while praising him for his wise and large-spirited actions in joining with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to help bring an end to the Cold War.

In seeking to account for the surprising popularity of this very conservative president, we ventured that perhaps it was owed to the fact that he “thought this a basically good country” and so did the people — that “Mr. Reagan had, from boyhood, a sunny, almost obstinate optimism of the kind that is very much a part of the mental makeup of the nation.”