Transcripts For CNNW CNN Newsroom With Brooke Baldwin 20160311

You go back through, you have Lyndon Johnsons daughter is there, it sort of goes up through history. Rosalynn carter. Think its remarkable that so many people from both sides of the aisle are there. The one person whos not there is barbara bush. Barbara bush is not. George w. Is there with his wife laura, but well, barbara bush and nancy reagan famously had a difficult relationship in the white house. And so, you know, the bushes were rarely invited up to the residence. When they were the Vice President. I dont know the reasons for her not being there but its interesting to note that shes not there out of all these other first ladies. There may have been other reasons, in fairness to her. Yes, yes. Again, all of these about 1,000 people in this room at the Ronald Reagan president ial library. Nancy rereagans funeral about begin. This is a funeral she initially discussed with her husband and even in the last six to eight months or so, she had really gone through every single detail, beginning with, as youre about to hear, the battle hymn of the republic, selecting which verse in the bible, and then of course the letter from her husband to her many years ago. Lets listen. I am the resurrection and the light said the lord. He that believes in me though he were dead shall live. Who forever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. I know my redeeper liveth and she was shall latter day upon the earth. Though this body be destroyed yet shall i see god. Whom i shall see for myself and mine eyes shall behold and not as a stranger. Where none of us liveth to himself. And no man dieth to himself. For if we live, we live unto the lord. And if we die, we die unto the lord. Whether we live therefor or die, we are the lords. Blessed are the dead who die in the lord. Even so said the spirit, for they rest from their labs. Labors. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the lord he is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are store he hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword his truth is marching on glory glory hallelujah glory glory hallelujah glory glory hallelujah his truth is marching on i have seen him in the watchfires of a hundred circling camps they have builded him an altar in the evening dews and damps i can read his righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps his day is marching on glory glory hallelujah glory gloria hallelujah glory glory hallelujah his truth is marching on in the beauty of the lillies christ was born across the sea with the glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me as he died to make men holy let us die to make men free while glad is marching on glory glory hallelujah glory glory hallelujah his truth is marching on glory glory hallelujah glory glory hallelujah glory glory hallelujah his truth is marching on marching on marching on the lord be with you. Let us pray. O, god whose merries cannot be numbered, accept our prayers on behalf of thy servant nancy and grant her an entrance into the land of light and joy and the fellowship of thy saints, through jesus christ, thy son, our lord, who liveth and reignth with thee in the holy spirit, one god, now and forever, amen. A reading from the book of prove verbs. When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls. Her husband, entrusting his heart to herr, has an unfailing prize. She brings him good and not evil all the days of her life. She obtains wool and flax and makes cloth with skillful hands. Like merchant ships, she gets her provisions from afar. She rises while it is still night and distributes food to her household. She picks out a field to purchase out of her earnings. She plants a vine yard. She is gird about with strength and sturdy are her arms. She enjoys the successes of her dealings. At night, her lamp is undimmed. She puts her hand to the disstaff and her fingers ply the spli spindle. She reaches out her hands to the poor and extends her arms to the needy. She fears not the snow for her household. All her charges are doubly clothed. She makes her own coverlets, fine linen and purple are her clothing. Her husband is prominent at the city gates. As he sits with the elders of the land. She makes garments and sells them and stocks the merchants. She is clothed with strength and dignity and she laughs at the days to come. She opens her mouth in wisdom and on her tongue is kindly counsel. She watches the conduct of her household and eats not her food in idleness. Her children rise up and praise her. Her husband, too, exstalls her. Many are the women of proven worth but you have excelled them all. Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting. The woman who fears the lord is to praised. Give her the reward of her labs and let her works praise her at the city gate it is, the word of the lord. In the spring of 1987, president reagan and i were driven into a large hangar at the Ottawa Airport to await the arrival of mrs. Reagan and my wife. Prior to departure ceremonies for the return to washington. Following their highly successful state visit to canada. President reagan and i were alone except for the security details. When their car drove in a moment later, out stepped nancy and mila looking like a million bucks. And as they headed towards us, president reagan beamed. He threw his arm around my shoulder. And he said with a grin, you know, brian, for two irishmen, we sure married up. I mention this anecdote again because it reflects a unique reagan reality. She really always was on his mind. We all know of rons great love and admiration for nancy and the elegant and constant manner in which he publicly expressed it. One day at the white house, after another glowing, absolutely glowing tribute by president reagan to his beloved nancy, i said privately, you know, ron, youre going to get me and all the rest of us here in a whole lot of trouble with our wives. Because we cant keep up with you. And the president chuckled and looked at me with that irish twinkle in his eye and said, well, brian, thats your problem, not mine. To illustrate this absolutely unique partnership and relationship, let me share with you today a letter he wrote to nancy on their first christmas together in the white house. On december 25, 1981. Dear mrs. R. , there are several much beloved women in my life and on christmas i should be giving them gold and precious stones and perfume and furs and lace. I know that even the best of these would fall short of expressing how much these several women mean to me and how empty my life would be without them. There is of course my first lady. She brings so much grace and charm to whatever she does. But even stuffy formal functions sparkle and turn into fun times. Everything is done with class. All i have to do is wash up and show up. Theres another woman in my life who does things i dont always get to see, but i hear about them and sometimes see photos of her doing them. She takes an abandoned child in her arms on a hospital visit. The look on her face only the madonna could match. The look on the childs face is one of adoration. And i know because i adore her too. She bends over a wheelchair or bed to touch an elderly invalid with tenderness and compassion. Just as she fills my entire life with warmth and love. Theres another gal i love. Who is a nest builder. If she were stuck for three days in a hotel room, shed manage to make it Home Sweet Home. She moves things around, looks at it, straightens this, straightens that, and you wonder why it wasnt like that in the first place. Im also crazy about the girl who goes to the ranch with me. If were tidying up the woods, shes a pee wee powerhouse at pushing over dead trees. Shes a wonderful person to sit by the fire with. Or to ride with. Or just to be with. When the sun goes down and the stars come out. If ever she stopped going to the ranch, id stop too. Because id see her in every beauty spot there is. And i couldnt stand that. Then there is a sentimental lady i love whose eyes fill up so easily. On the other hand, she loves to laugh and her laugh is like tinkling bells. I hear those bells. And i feel good all over. Even if i tell a joke, shes heard many, many times before. Fortunately, all these women in my life are you. Fortunately for me that is, for there could be no life for me without you. Browning asked, how do i love thee, let me count the ways. For me, there is no way to count. I love the whole gang of you. Mommy, first lady, the sentimental you, the fun you and the pee wee powerhouse you. Merry christmas you all. With all my love, lucky me. Theirs was a love story for the ages. As first couple, ron and nancy reagan represented america with great distinction. They had a magnificent sense of occasion. They had style. And they had grace. And they had class. Some of you may have heard my reference to lines from William Butler yates when talking in other circumstances. Of what the reagans meant to us all. Today, those same golden words tumble across continents and down the vista of the years. As we think of nancy reunited finally with her beloved ronnie. Yates wrote, think where mans glory most begins and ends and say my glory was that i had such friends. Ave maria gratia plena maria, gratia plena maria, gratia plena ave, ave Dominus Dominus tecum dominus tecum benedicta tu in mulieribus et benedictus et benedictus fructus ventris ventris tuis jesus sancta maria mater dei ora pro Nobis Peccatoribus ora pro nobis ora, ora pro Nobis Peccatoribus nunc et in hora mortis et in Hora Mortis Nostrae et in Hora Mortis Nostrae ave maria we do not want you to unaware, brother, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like rest, who have no hope, for if we believe that jesus died and rose, so too will god through jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep. Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the lord, will surely not proceed those who have fallen asleep. For the lord himself with the word of command with the voice of an arcangel and with the trumpet of god will come from heaven. We who are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the lord in the air. Thus, we shall always be with the lord. Therefore, console one another with these words. The word of the lord. Thank you so much. Its an honor. Im so grateful to be included today. Ive been asked to say just a few words before i read a passage from the new testament for mrs. Reagan so you may want to sit down. 15 years ago, i interviewed her. It was long after the white house years. I didnt really know her then. But our conversation was about the president and alzheimers, and how you go on when every single day, as someone said, the size of the love is the size of the loss. And when the interview was over, we kept talking. And i think i joined so many of you here in this room who checked in by phone and came to los angeles to have the lunches with her. Those lunches in which she ate microscopic amounts of food, tiny little chop salads and one Chocolate Chip Cookie and the iced tea. And i was so terrified of that, that i used to hide my roll under the table and butter it so she couldnt see it, didnt want to offend her. But make no mistake, she would bop journalists, and i mean bop any journalist in this room, and we know this, if she didnt like a report you had done. Unlike so many people these days, she never seemed to harden differences into definitions. She was way too interested in people and who you really were and what you really knew, all of us woven together in this life. And so we talked about politics and celebrities. And she told very wicked stories about old hollywood. And the days when life would throw you a curve and you got up and you put on your lipstick and you combed your hair and you kept the band playing. And i always thought of that old desert movie morocco, describing in a way a generation of women. It says there is no foreign legion, just for women, but there is a foreign legion for women too. They have no uniform, no flag, no medals when they are brave. And as the lunch would end, she would make her way up the hill to the house. With the memories and the silences. And her happiness when the children were coming. And all this week ive been thinking about watching her head down the hall because she would head into the bedroom and right there i cant remember exactly what it was, was it a pillow or a framed needle point, but i know the words were clearly from president reagan and it said Something Like this, if you must leave, could you just take me with you. And i think of that again today. As i read what ive been asked to read, this passage from the gospel of john. Jesus said, do not let your hearts be troubled, trust in god, trust also in me. In my Fathers House are many rooms. If it were not so, i would have told you. Im going there to prepare a place for you. And if i go and prepare a place for you, i will come back and take you to be with me, that you also may be where i am. You know the way to the place where im going. And thomas said to him, lord, we dont know where youre going, so how can we know the way . And jesus answered, i am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me. For nancy, the word of the lord. Pie jesu pie jesu qui tollis peccata mundi dona eis requiem dona eis requiem qui tollis peccata mundi dona eis requiem dona eis requiem dona eis requiem dona eis requiem sempiternam dona eis requiem sempiternam requiem sempiternam requiem eis requiem dona eis requiem dona eis requiem sempiternam requiem sempiternam requiem we gather here today to say goodbye to nancy davis reagan. A beautiful smart and gracious woman. A woman who captured the heart of a man, who loved his craft, his country, and his countrymen. And most especially loved this remarkable woman. A woman without whom Ronald Wilson reagan would never have become the 40th president of the United States or succeeded as well as he did. The cold war that president reagan did so much to end brought them together. In 1950, the name nancy davis appeared on a list of communist sympathizers. With the hollywood black listers know that this was a different person and not the young actress . She took her problem to her union boss. The president of the screen actors guild, Ronald Reagan. They met at a hollywood restaurant. The dinner would be brief. They agreed. Because each had an early casting call. In fact, neither had an early casting call. An early casting call was the standard hollywood excuse to put a quick end to unpleasant dinners. But when i opened the door, she wrote later, i knew he was the man i wanted to marry. Their meeting lasted through dinner and then into the wee hours at a nearby club. The third age in shakespeares seven ages of man is the lover, sighing like a furnace with a woeful ballard. Shakespeare of course is gently mocking young lovers. Their passion always burns hot, he said, and then it fades. Well, the baird never met nancy or her ronnie. As Prime Minister mulroney pointed out, they could hardly bear to be apart. When he was on a movie set or as candidate or as president , he wrote her, every single night. When they were together, he hid love notes around the house for her to find. One christmas at Pacific Palisades he wrote, whatever i treasure and enjoy, all would be without meaning if i didnt have you. I live in a permanent christmas because god gave me you. Nancy saved his love letters in a shopping bag in her closet. She reciprocated by slipping little notes and jelly beans in with the clothes in his suitcase. And while he was away she said, id drive home feeling very lonely and very sad and i would knit him socks. She also resip prokalted, reciprocated by dedicating her life to him. I was, i suppose, a woman of the old school, she wrote. If you wanted to make your life with a man, you took on whatever his interests were and they became your interests too. If Ronald Reagan had owned a shoe store, mike beaver wrote, nancy would have been very happy pushing shoes and working the register. Ronald reagans interest turned into a different direction of course, to politics and public service. Nancy, who might have preferred a more private life, became the consummate political wife and first lady. He owed much of the success of his presidency to her. She had an instinct for reading people that the president knew he lacked. Nancy, he wrote, sees the goodness in people. But she also had an extra instinct that allowed her to see the flaws. Nancy was the president s eyes and ears when it came to personnel. She knew who was paddling their own canoe and who was loyal to the president. And she was as tough as a marine drill sergeant. As many of us found out when things didnt go well. The president s advisers learned to keep her informed and to seek her support. If she trusted them and agreed, she would add her voice to theirs. But she was, without a doubt, absolutely without a doubt, his closest adviser. Shes the one who said, you need to do this, ronnie, you need to find a way to negotiate with gorbachev. The only time i saw her lose her composure was the day the president was shot. She was devastated and, in fact, she fell apart. Even in his condition, he did his best to give her strength. Honey, i forgot to duck, he said. That was his way of comforting her. President reagan left the hospital convinced that god had spared him for a special purpose. And the first lady left with a fierce determination to protect him in every way that she possibly could. Ronald and nancy reagan were defined by their love for each other. They were as close to being one person as it is possible for any two people to be. When the president made his slow exit from the stage, she dedicated herself to his memory and to his place in history. Now she too has exited the stage. To join her beloved ronnie in eternity. I can just imagine how st. Peter might let the president know that she had arrived. A beautiful lady is at the gate asking for you, he said, with a jar of jelly beans, a shopping bag full of letters and a suitcase filled with hand knitted socks. We love you, nancy, we miss you, but we will see you on the other side. This is a very emotional and evocative time for me. I arrived in los angeles in 1966 to join nbc news, just 3 1 2 years out of south dakota. I was 26 years old. And the geniuses on the nbc newsdesk said to me theres this actor running for governor of california. We dont think hes going anywhere. Youre the junior guy so you get on the bus with him. Its also worth pointing out with the Current Governor here, that was before the brown family put a semipermanent lease on the Governors Office in california. So i did. It was such an instructive beginning for me as a Political Correspondent because i saw the bestrun campaign i had ever seen up to that point and maybe since. By the time the governor got ready to run for a second term, i knew my way around a little bit so i went to the Los Angeles Press club where he was going to make his announcement and walked into the holding room earnly and took a seat in the far corner, but then i realized it was kind of reserved for the reagan supporters and family friends, because theyd begun to line the walls, including jimmy and gloria stewart. Nancy came in and she was kind of on autopilot as she made her way around that wall of friends and supporters, giving each a kiss, a little squeeze of the hand and a word or two. It dawned on me she was going to get to me. Now, i am the outlier at that point, im a reporter from the press. And she got to me and she leaned back in mock horror and i quickly said, oh, mrs. Reagan, whatever it is that i have, its not catching, i can promise you that. She laughed heartily, leaned over and gave me a kiss, and that was the beginning of an remarkable friendship between a first lady and a reporter. It was also a time when i began to appreciate just how much she meant to the man who became the president of the United States, not just as his wife, but as his best political adviser, as jim baker and so many others have pointed out. She could be, as we all saw in those photographs and video of the adoring wife in public, but behind the scenes she was an astute analyst and the keeper of the flame. We stayed in close touch. It wasnt always easy. Shortly after his inauguration as president , i made some Public Comments about his early years in which i said i thought the poor boy narrative was somewhat overblown, after all, hed been a successful broadcaster in his 20s and then a movie star under contract before he was 30. Nancy was furious andwa word ca from jim baker and stu spencer and others, stay clear of the white house for a while, brokaw, well let you know when its safe to go back. About two months later, meredith and i were invited to a state dinner and i was told i would have to think what i would say to her when i arrived before her in the receiving line. Dont say anything to the president , he doesnt care about this, but nancy is still steaming. Well, meredith was very nervous as we continued to make our way toward her in the receiving line because i had not yet come up with anything to say to her. Finally, i stood before her. And i saw in her eyes that steely glaze that she could have for people who didnt please her. And i spontaneously said, nancy, back to square one. She looked at me for a moment, broke up laughing and said, tom, back to square one. The next day, a white house photograph of that very moment arrived with the inscription, tom, back to square one, love, nancy. That was such a telling moment about how astute she was as a political wife, as someone who knew about personal relationships, how to get her message across and then quickly move on. We all saw those other moments when she was utterly in command. Jim has referred to that awful day when the president was shot. They didnt know what his condition was. When the secret service told her in the white house theres been a shooting, the president has been rushed to the hospital, she said, i must go. They said, well, we dont think thats a good idea, mrs. Reagan. She said quickly to them, you get me a car right now or ill walk to the hospital. The president and i shared a birthday, february 6th, and over the years in the white house and out, it became an occasion to share a phone call and note, especially between mrs. Reagan and me. When the president was going through his ordeal after leaving the white house, our calls became more regular. And i could hear her loneliness. So on one of the calls i suggested that the next time im in california we should have lunch, and maybe we should invite our mutual friend Warren Beatty. Oh, no, tom, she said, its enough to have lunch with you. Until the next day when the phone call arrived and it was nancy saying, oh, tom, do you think warren might like to have lunch with us . Of course. And the luncheon companion star power went up many multiples. Im here to tell you, theres nothing like walking into a los angeles dining room with mrs. Reagan on your arm. Brokaw and beatty were quickly also rans on that occasion. Treasuring those occasions because she always arrived with astute political observations and best gossip from both coasts. As a speaker at president fords funeral, i looked down at the first pew and decided it was my duty to name them. President and mrs. Bush. President and mrs. Bush. President carter, and Vice President dick cheney, president and mrs. Clinton. I finished my remarks, walked back to sit beside meredith and she looked at me in a disbelieving way and said, you did not mention nancy. I said, shes not here. She said, yes, she is. Shes hidden behind that column over there. I had not seen her. So i immediately called our mutual friend stu spencer who answered simply by saying, what were you thinking, brokaw . Stu, do you think she noticed . Are you kidding . Heres her mobile number, call her right now. Which i did. And i took my medicine from an aggrieved friend for the next, oh, 15 minutes, until she accepted my explanation and then it was back to square one again and the way i got out of it is that i agreed with her, she had been given a terrible seat for that funeral. I was so i so admired about nancy, that ability to do just that. She knew how to protect her husband and her president but also her own place. To stand her ground. And once it had been resolved, to move on. Never more evident on the many occasions when i spoke here at the library. We meet in a holding room downstairs to catch up on the latests gosome, gossip, what was going on in our personal lives. After everyone was seated, especially after she was confined to a wheelchair, i helped get her to her feet and with one of her aepd aides tak to an entryway that had been curtained off. We could hear the music egin to swell. An offstage announcer entoning, ladies and gentlemen, the former first lady of the United States, nancy reagan, and her guest tom brokaw. Id escort her into the auditorium, into the front row and seat her beside tom selleck, her friend, and then give my lecture. The last time we were there together, i received a modist and enthusiastic response from the audience but i wanted to be sure that nancy approved. So leaned over her seat as the applause continued. And i said, i hope that was okay. She whispered back to me, tom, give me a little kiss, theyre going to love that. And so i did. And so they did. Our shared editor of random house reminded me that when we lost nancy last weekend, it would have been the 68th anniversary of their marriage. Ronnie and nancy. So god bless, nancy, mrs. Ronald reagan, first lady and the unlikely friend of a reporter. Thank you, nancy. In the months before my mother died, she repeated she had to be there until the last moment. Her determination was ferocious. She simply had to be by his side when he left this world. I said the only thing i could think of and what i thought my father would say, that it was in gods hands. She was there. Occasionally, i thought that even god might not have the guts to argue with nancy reagan. As her own health declined, she was adamant about reuniting with my father on the other side after her passing. I am hoping for gods peace of mind that she got her wish. My parents were two halves of a circle, closed tight around a world in which their love for each other was the only sustenance they needed. While they might venture out and include others in their orbit, no one truly crossed the boundary into the space they held as theirs. I saw this portrayed in front of me one summer evening when i was a teenager. We used to rent a beach house for a few weeks in the summer. And on this evening with the vivid sunset streaked across the sky, i looked out and saw my parents sitting on the sand close together heads tilted in conversation. There was so much vastness around them. The blue pacific. The orange and pink sky. Miles of white sand. And then there was the circle of their own private world, as clear as if it had been traced around them, indestructible, impenetrable, an island for two. I knew i would carry that image with me for the rest of my life. When my father was shot and my mother rushed to the hospital, they at first wouldnt let her see him. I have to, she said, you dont understand how it is with us. The moment before my father died, he opened his eyes which had been closed for days and he looked straight at my mother. The circle was drawn again as he left this world. In the weeks after he died, my mother thought she her his foot steps coming down the hall late at night. She said he would appear to her long after midnight sitting on the edge of the bed. I dont know anything about the possible passages between this world and the next. But i do know her faith in these visits eased some of her loneliness. They made her feel that he was close by. On one occasion, i am quite certain that she was channeling my father. Id gone up to her house and found her very busy making phone calls to elected officials, trying to gain their support for stem cell legislation, something she was quite passionate about. She ended one phone call and gave me a somber look. Well, she said, in a calm tone, sounding much more like my father than herself, karl rove is dogging my phone calls, everyone i call, he calls right after and tries to get them to oppose stem cell legislation. Right after, i asked. Are you sure your phone isnt bugged . No, i had the secret Service Check on that. You must be furious, i told her, puzzled by the fact that she didnt seem furious at all. She shook her head no and her entire demeanor was not only calm, it was practically zen. Even people who never met my mother will know that the word zen has never before been applied to nancy reagan. But that was what i saw. Theres no time to get upset, she said, theres work to be done. I cant get distracted. I have to keep moving forward. I admit i did say who are you and what have you done with my mother. Over time, what she referred to as late night visits from my father ceased. She no longer heard his foot steps in the hall. But she never stopped missing him. She told me once that the reason she had the television on all the time was because it filled the house with sound and made her feel less lonely. Another remedy for her loneliness was to fill the empty spaces with stories and memories. A few days before she died, i remained her of something that happened many decades ago when we lived in Pacific Palisades. My father used to get massages from a large Eastern European man who would come to the house and set up his massage table in my parents dressing room. On one of these days, as my father lay face down on the table, my mother tiptoed in, kissed him lightly on the back of his neck and tiptoed out. He didnt know it was her. But he went through the rest of the massage. Never said a word. And after the masseur left, he said to my mother, i dont think we can have him back anymore. Why, she asked him what happened. Well, he kissed me. When she told him it was her, he was flooded with relief. And said, thank god, i didnt know what to do. My mothers laughter in remembering that day would, unbeknownst to me, turn out to be the last time i would hear her laugh. Its no secret that my mother and i had a challenging and often contentious relationship. When i was a child, i imagined having warm comfortable conversations with her, the kind of conversations that feel like lamp light. The reality was far different. I tried her patience and she intimidated me. We were never mild with one another. Whether we were distant and angry or bonded and close, our emotions burned up the color chart. Nothing was ever gray. But there were moments in our history when all that was going on between us was love. I choose to remember those moments. I choose to remember the mother who held the game wound on the back of her young daughters head after she fell at a friends house and cracked her skull open on the fireplace heart. She drove with one hand and held my head with the other, talking soothingly to me and trying to conceal the fear in her eyes. Watching her was hypnotic. It made my head hurt less. I choose to remember my mother framed by the window of a New York Hotel room as i told her that id been involved in a complicated relationship for two years and had now been cruelly tossed aside. I was 19. I felt older and more wounded than any 19yearold should feel. I needed a mother. And i came to mine. Holding out a fragile hope that she would keep me from crumbling beyond recognition. She did. She didnt judge me. She wasnt punishing or accusatory. She was tender and understanding and loving. I choose to remember walking with her along the beach. Somehow the ocean always calmed the air between us and allowed us to be easy with each other. Most of all, i will remember looking out the window to the sweep of sunset and seeing my parents sitting together on the sand. Maybe on the other side there are endless shores and eternally brilliant sunsets. Maybe its possible to sit there forever, undistubbed, two souls only needing each other. Robert sexton wrote, across the years i will walk with you. In deep green forests. On shores of sand. And when our time on earth is through, in heaven too you will have my hand. I hope for my parents that those words dont live only in the poets imagination but are a map to what they both longed for and believed in in the world beyond this one. I love that story about the masseur. I imagine my father laying there naked on a table just waiting for this big man to do Something Else. What must have been going through his mind. Well, i guess im batting clean up here so let me on behalf of my family thank you all for coming here. We really appreciate it. My sister patti and i, who suddenly find ourselves orphaned, really appreciate being surrounded by so much love and kindness. And to jim and to tom and everybody else who spoke and your kind words, appreciate that very much too. And to the folks at the library here who put this whole thing on. What a terrific job theyve done. And we so much appreciate that too. She did love a party. And she would want this to be a party. This is not a tragedy. This is a celebration. I hope you had a chance to have a look around here. Some of you of course have been here many times before. But i hope you realize that none of this, none of this, would have been possible without nancy reagan. I dont mean that she was active in fundraising and building library. Of course she was. What i really mean to say is there would be no Ronald Reagan president ial Library Without a president Ronald Reagan. There likely wouldnt have been a president Ronald Reagan without a nancy reagan. Of course it may not have happened that way. If she was not made of such stern stuff, she may not have made it all the way to being mrs. Ronald reagan. See, my dad would play hard to get a little bit when they were dating way back when. He had already purchased a ranch not too far from here in malibu. And he loved to go there and ride his horses and buck hay and generally get dirty and sweaty outdoors. Not the kind of thing shes really crazy about, my mother, but she was a good sport. And she wanted to participate in this. If he loved his ranch, well, she was going to love the ranch too. She would go out there and he would do his thing and she would sort of wonder about how she could help. Now, this ranch was out in malibu, about 700 acres or so. Had a long driveway that led to the house. About a half a mile, fences on both sides. So they would go out there and they would hang out and be ranchers. But she wanted to help. So she asked him, what can i do to help . Did i mention that the fences lining that half mile driveway were unpainted . So he handed her a bucket of paint and a brush. And my mother painted a miles worth of fence. Every post. Every plank. Both sides. Once. That was that paint job lasted for the duration. Now, my father was confident but he was not an arrogant man at all. And it takes a great deal of chutzpa to run for president of the United States or even governor of california for that matter. And her absolute belief in him gave him that chutzpa to run for office. My mother provided the encouragement he needed. She guided him. She provided a refuge into which he could repair, to gather his strength. She guarded his privacy. She protected him. Both possessed great individual talents but as a couple they were more than the sum of their parts and it would be a mistake, by the way, to consider her as somehow subordinate to him just because he was the one usually taking center stage. They were coequals. They complemented one another. Individually, they may have gone far but together they could and did go anywhere. My father was inclined to believe that everyone was basically good and that certainly anyone who worked for him was pure of heart and could never be nursing a private agenda. My mother didnt share that inclination. And she didnt have that luxury. In my mothers world, you were either helpful to her husband or you were not, and i think we all know what side of the equation youd want to be on. Since were among friends, i think we can admit that she was not always the easiest person to deal with. She could be difficult. She could be demanding. She could be a bit obsessive. Truly, she could be a royal pain in the ass when she wanted to be. But usually only so my father didnt have to be. You didnt want to get on moms bad side, particularly by hurting her husband. If you did that, you had earned yourself an implacable foe. If you happened to ron into the ghost of don regan some time, you can just ask him. On the other hand, on the other hand, you couldnt ask for a more loyal or dedicated friend. Just ask joan rivers, should you run into her in the hereafter. When joans husband died, he was on the east coast and joan could not, for some reason, could not get the coroner to release his body so he could come home to the west coast. Joans a comedian. She didnt know who to call. Who do you call to pull strings like this, to get Something Like that done . Well, she was acquainted with my mother but they werent great friends yet. Nevertheless, she bucked up her courage and called the white house and got my mother on the phone. Joans husbands body was on the next plane out of town to the west coast. And joan became my mothers buddy for the rest of her life. I see the faces of many friends here today. People who have known and loved my mother for years. But most of my mothers buddies are gone now. Shes among the last of her cohort. The old gang. Her generation. And now she is truly with them. If my mother had one great talent, i think it was that she knew how to love and she loved one man more than the world. And her latter years after my father had gone, she asked me whether i thought she would be with him again when she died. Im not a believer in the supernatural, but i always assured her that wherever dad had gone, she was surely going to go there too. We should all be so lucky to stand up where weve always wanted to be. And today my mother comes to rest on this lovely hilltop with its farreaching views, next to her beloved Ronald Reagan library and, by the way, from here she will be able to keep an eye on things. Just saying, no slacking. How long will it be before tales begin to emerge of a petite chanelclad spirit roaming the galleries and halls, just checking to make sure things are running smoothly. But most importantly, she will once again lay down beside the man who was the love of her life, the one she loved until the end of her days. They will watch the sun drop over the hills in the west toward the sea. As night falls, they will look out across the valley. My father will tell her that the lights below are her jewels. The moon and stars will endlessly turn overhead and here theyll stay as they always wished it to be, resting in each others arms, only each others arms, until the end of time. Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me i once was lost but now am found was blind but now i see twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace, my fears relieved how precious did that grace appear the hour i first believed the lord has promised good to me his word my hope secures he will my shield and portion be as long as life endures through many dangers toils and snares we have already come twas grace that brought us safe thus far and grace will lead me home when weve been here ten thousand years bright shining as the sun weve no less days to sing gods praise then when weve first begun god of grace and glory, we remember before you this day our sister nancy. We thank you for giving her to us, her family and friends to know and to love as a companion on our earthy pilgrimage. Give us faith to see in death the gate of eternal life so in quiet confidence we can continue our course on earth until by your call were reunited by those who have gone before, amen. Would you please be seated. Today we are exactly where we ought to be, standing with this family and one another before the mystery of life and death. Saying our prayers and farewell to nancy davis reagan. The great 20th century rabbi Abraham Joshua was once asked what is the most important thing that a religious person can do. His answer was given in one word, remember. That is precisely what we do this day. This is what we do as religious people every time we gather. We hear again and again the stories of encountering god, ancient and cherished, stories that point to god as mystery yet still revealed to our fragile and mortal humanity. We remember gods saving love for the human race and family and in that act of remembering the god of life and giver of every good gift is present to us. And these moments that i speak to you, it is really for one person. To gather all the remembrances you just heard, those that you carry in your hearts, those of the people of our nation and the world, and to remind you where to place them all, before the living god, who gave nancy life from the first and who now received it back again. Who is this god . This is the one who raised up israel out of bondage and egypt, fulfilling ancient promises, and who raised up jesus from the dead into resurrection life. The god in whose present we gather today. A god of justice who wants to lift up the poor, the vulnerable, and all on the margins of life. A god of love, who wants you to know that in every circumstance of life that you are beloved, precious, sacred. Just because you are you. This is a god who loves fiercely, who traffics in life and death, and is encountered in every dimension of life beautiful and complex. Nancy knew of this. She knew it because she lived it. In november of 2014, i was invited to meet mrs. Reagan at her home. There were four of us, mrs. Reagan and two of her dear friends. We entered her bedroom where mrs. Reagan dressed comfortably and with a quiet elegance was partly reclined upon her bed. We were there over an hour. I mostly listened as the three of them told stories from the white house years and beyond. Some dramatic. Some hilarious. And others that caused us to fall into a companionable silence. Turning to all the photographs on her bedside table, i asked about several of them, and one by one she looked at them and spoke of places and events over long years. Finally, i picked up the one closest to her. It was worn and creased. Overrunning its slightly weathered simple plastic frame. What about this one, mrs. Reagan . She held it in silence. And turning to me, she said, this one is my favorite. The photo was of president reagan who had begun his descent into alzheimers. The angle of the photo was of their profiles. Nancy was hovering just above him, their faces very near one another, nose to nose, eyes to eyes. It showed a deep and tender intimacy, even through the fog of his illness. Of all the photos, this was her favorite. She kept looking at it, seemingly transported to another place. I said, mrs. Reagan, thats a picture of you living out the promises of your marriage and fidelity and love. After a brief silence she said yes, it is. And handed it back to be placed on the table nearest to her. Poet Henry Van Dyke has written time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity. Nancy reagan lives that truth. She and her beloved ronnie shared a great love, a very great love, that is legendary and could instruct us all and now she knows that eternity is about so much more than time. For it is about fulfillment and completion. And so important for nancy, reunion, as she is joined with her beloved ronnie. So lastly as we give thanks for the life of nancy reagan, i want to speak of an evil greater love. It is one we know as christians and the life, death and resurrection of jesus christ, climaxing at that first easter. Each gospel tells of it differently, ironically, under girding the ver ruacity and providing a truth unparalleled in all of literature and life. The events of holy week leading to jesus death sent his closest disciples into fearful hiding and finally brought strong women to his tomb in the dark of that first easter dawn. There god had acted. A cosmos altering explosion of divine light and life was released, surging at gods command, breaking the threeday silence. There, jesus rises from death to new life. And all creation rises with him. In a newly beheld raidance that is without analogy in the risen christ. Death is defeated, vanquished forever. God raised jesus. That you and i might share in his resurrection. It is true, we are raised with him, as is nancy, who now stands on another shore and in a Greater Light with that multitude of saints that no mortal can number. In a last visit with mrs. Reagan, i asked at the end to be alone with her. We spoke for a few moments and then we prayed. Given thanks for life, for the loves that god had brought to us, and for strength and grace of the days ahead. Now, we all read things. But i have made a life out of trying to read human hearts. And those last moments with nancy, she was at peace. As if she were already leaning into heaven. And now she has. Fallen asleep and awakened in the heart of god. Now she knows intimately of what the 17th century anglican priest and poet john dunne wrote in these closing words, bring us, o lord god, at our last awakening into the household and gate of heaven, to enter into that gate and dwell in that house, where there shall be no darkness, nor dazzling, but one equal light, no noise nor silence but one equal music, no fears, no hopes, but one equal possession, no ends, nor beginnings, but one equal eternity. In the habitation of thy glory and dominion, World Without end, amen. Nancy, dear nancy, may you gaze upon our lord facetoface. May angels surround you and saints welcome you in peace, and may your heart and soul now ring out in joy to the living god in whose presence you are held forever. Amen. Now, let us all join together. Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. In peace we pray to you, lord god, o mighty god, one fellowship, mystical body of your son, our christ the lord. On earth thy light and thy peace, amen, granted all who have been baptized into christs death and resurrection may die to sin and rise to newness of life that through the grave and gate of death we may pass with him to our joyful resurrection. Grant to us who are still on our earthly pilgrimage. That thy holy spirit may lead us in holiness and righteousness all our days. Grant to thy faithful people pardon and peace that we may be cleansed from all our sins and serve thee with a quiet mind. Amen. Grant to all who mourn as your fatherly care that cast in all their grief on thee they may know the consolation of thy love. Give courage and faith to those who are bereaved, that they may have strength to meet the days ahead in the comfort of a reasonable and holy hope, in the joyful expectation of eternal life with those they love. Help us, we pray, in the things we cannot understand and believe and trust in the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins and the resurrection to life everlasting. Grant us grace to entrust nancy to thy never failing love, receive her into thine arms of thy mercy and remember her into the favorite which thou bearest unto thy people. She may go from strength to strength, in the life of Perfect Service and thy heavenly kingdom. Grant us with all who have died in the hope of the resurrection to have our counsel mation and bliss in thy everlasting glory and with all thy saints to receive the crown of life which thine has promised to all who share in the victory of thy sons holy christ, one god for ever and ever, amen. Would you please rise for the commendation. Gift rest o christ to thy servant with thy christ where power and pain are no more, neither sighing but life everlasting. Thy only are the immortal and creator of mankind and we are mortal formed of the earth and unto earth shall we return. For thou thus ordained dust thou art and unto dust shall thy return. All will go down to the dust. Yet even at the grave we make our song ha. Give rest thy christ to thy servant with thy saints. Where sorrow and pain are no more. Neither sighing but life. Into thy hands oh merciful savior. We commend thy child and servant nancy. Acknowledge we humbly beseech thee sheep of thine own fold. Lamb of thine own flock. Receive her into the arms of thy mercy. Into the blessed rest of everlasting peace and into the Glorious Company of the saints and light amen. The blessing of god almighty, the father of the son and the holy spirit, be upon you and all beloved to you, this day, and to ever more, amen. [ Amazing Grace playing ] all that the father giveth shall come to me and him who cometh to me i will no wise cast out. He that raised up jesus from the dead will also give life to our mortal bodies by his spirit and dwell within us. My heart is glad and my spirit rejoiceth. My flesh also shall rest in hope. Thou shall show me the path of life. In thine presence is the fullness of joy and at thy right hand there is pleasure for ever more. In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ. We commend to all mighty god our sister nancy. And we commit her body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The lord bless her and keep her. The lord make his face to shine upon her and be gracious unto her. The lord lift up his countenance upon her and give her peace, amen. Rest eternal grant to her, o lord, and let light perpetual shine upon her. Maher soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of god, rest in peace. Amen. Now may the god of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ the great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting cove nent make you perfect in every good work to do his will. Working in you that which is pleasing in his sight and the blessing of god all mighty, the father, the son and the holy spirit be upon you, and all beloved to you, this day and for ever more. Amen. [ God Bless America playing ] God Bless America land that i love stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam God Bless America my Home Sweet Home ladies and gentlemen, all guests are invited to pay their respects at the interment site and then join for a luncheon reception in the air force 1 pavilion, thank you. Were going to sit on these pictures but we have all been witnessing for the last 90 minutes just an extraordinarily elegant Funeral Service there at the Ronald Reagan president ial library. Michelle obama paying her respects, saying hello to Nancy Reagans children. As we watch. The casket has been removed and is now just outside of the Reagan Library. I have David Gerring within me and Kate Anderson broward. Weve been watching for the last two hours nearly in tears at parts. When we heard the letter that was written by Ronald Reagan to his wife, their first christmas in the white house, 1981, and that was read by the honorable brian mulroney, the former canadian pm. To me, so many moments stood out. David. Absolutely, the letter, i never heard the letter before. I just dont know any other president in his life who shared such president as eloquently as he did. Those are all there was no speechwriter for that. That came from him, it came from deep within. I think it captured the love story better than anything else possibly could have because it was in their words and it captured both of them. You found both of them in that letter. Hearing the anecdote he shared when he and the president , you know, saw both of their wives and the joke about how did we ever get so lucky is, you know, an irishman saying, couldnt believe the beauty walking toward them. For you . I just thought it was very emotional to hear about her as this whole woman, you know, that she was loving and kind, she had moments of weakness, she wasnt perfect in any way and i think thats what makes her so interesting, b interesting, but its really her allegiance to her husband. The story after the assassination attempt where she went on a ladder to go get his favorite photo and bring it to him in the hospital, and she fell and broke a couple of ribs and she never told anybody about that. And that is pure nancy reagan. I mean, all about him. She wanted to bring him his favorite photo. She would have done anything for him. There was Something Else about this today that i it harkened back to a different age in our politics. She was, described several times as a political wife, and how much she worked with him, how well they worked together, but to have jim baker as eloquent as ive ever heard him. And then also tom brokaw and the two of them together, one representing the people, the colleagues and the other representing the press. The way they spoke about him and the way they spoke about politics, it just reminded you of how elevating politics can be. I was pleased that Hillary Clinton was there because she is a candidate this year. I just hope the rest of the candidates for the presidency this year take time to watch that and understand what politics can be. It was a nice pause of elegance amidst Everything Else weve been covering here. Just to see that front row, michelle obama, caroline kennedy, laura bush, president george w. Bush, Hillary Clinton, rosalynn carter, you know, tom selleck in the audience, Arnold Schwarzenegg schwarzenegger, mr. T, all kinds of different people through the spectrum that she knew, she loved. The story that tom brokaw told about sitting with her and Warren Beatty at lunch, all their lunches, it was amazing. And the story of her with the masseur and going and kissing his neck. It was funny. She had a sense of humor. I know when i talked to a white house butler who said, you know, she was really broken up when one of the doormen at the white house died and she remembered decades later how shocked and saddened she was at his death. This was a white house door man. She wasnt this kind of iron lady i think we often see. What about also as we were looking and i remember watching and sitting honestly in tears in 2004 and watching nancy reagan bend down and leaning into the casket of her beloved ronnie and kiss the casket. Juxtaposed with this. And her daughter patti, saying we all know its been very public, her relationship with her mother. But looking just at that picture, as you were remarking, david, its a different image. It is different. Think we have to understand what ronnie and nancy reagan formed their own universe. And, in fact, their children often felt on the outside of that. There werent many stories about the parents interacting with the children because there werent enough of those opportunities. It was a price the children paid. I think theyve come to reconcile themselves with it. Its just they dont nancy, you could just feel the grief in that moment in 2004 when her husband died. And ron and patti i thought were very brave the way they spoke today. And they i think they rose to the occasion, but you could see, it was not quite the same sentiment as before. It was an appreciation for what their mother did for their father. Ron told me his mother was a more pricklier personality than her father. So she took a lot of flak, she took that criticism on the chin for him, and i think they saw that firsthand, they felt she was helping him every step of the way. I want to go back to one of the things because there were so many folks from hollywood there. Its also impossible to separate out Ronald Reagan and nancy reagan from hollywood. I spent some time with him toward the end of his life and what he wanted to do was tell hollywood stories. Not so much about politics. He loved telling stories that amused him so much about the days when hed been a hollywood actor. It was very near and dear. So there was a reunion of all of what they stood for in that ceremony today. I love the story that was told about their first date. Again, this hollywood era and the fact that they both said that they had a quote unquote call in the morning, right, that was sort of the excuse in hollywood and it was a first date, you know, just in case it didnt work out. Obviously they later confessed into the wee hours of the morning when it was going so well that there actually wasnt a call and they continued on to dinner and the rest is history. Think its worth also noting as someone else did that assassination attempt in 1981 and how that was that rocked her to the core. She what was it, she found out about the shooting when she was back at the white house and she said you get me a car or im walking to the hospital. Absolutely. And she stayed there at the hospital with him, by his side, and as Carl Bernstein noted earlier, she became fiercely protective after that. Shed always been protective but after that it was particularly important to make sure to regulate how the staff worked with him. We had earlier in the century Woodrow Williams son had a stros wife became all powerful and she actually took over the reins of government. Nancy reagan did not do that. She understood the government had to go on. And she managed that a lot, working with jim baker, who was then chief of staff, and the two of them together managed the two came in, who went out. The political wife. What she arranged working with the staff that he stay out of sight for a long time as he was recuperating and his reentry on the stage was to a joint session of congress, first time anybody had ever seen him, and he went up there and said, now enact my program. And the whole country just got behind him because they hadnt seen him and there was all this cheering that he reappeared but he used it for political purpose. That was very smart. She was right there as one of the architects of that plan. In terms of politics today, we were all at the Reagan Library last fall for the Republican Debate and so many people were asking his name was evoked on stage so many times. Behind the scenes, i remember so many people saying wheres nancy, how is nancy doing, and im curious how plugged in she was, kate, to politics before she passed. She was very plugged in. She was watching this race very closely and i know when i spoke with ron, he said, you know, his mother was not a huge donald trump fan. This was not the Republican Party that she was familiar with. And, in fact, she wasnt very comfortable withe iing taking oe mantle of Ronald Reagan. She didnt see any of these candidates as the reincarnation of her husband and she resented it a little bit. But she would call them herself to envit them. She was very involved. I thought it was interesting what ron reagan said too if it werent for her there wouldnt be this enormous Beautiful Library thats a tribute to him. She told one of her friends she did it because was working for ronnie. She feels like shes working for ronnie by putting so much time and effort into making that really one of the most beautiful president ial libraries i think in the country. I cant tell you how painful she probably found the beginnings of this race and what she watched, because it is the beginning of a new era. In some ways, her death closed off the era but its one we need to remember because things worked because he actually he was someone who worked across the aisle, jim baker kept trying to say, and it was symbolic nancy had jim baker speaking. There were two factions in the white house. I was there. I was on the jims side of the house. There was a conservative faction and the baker pragmatic faction which embraced the program, tried to make it work and cut the deals. Conservatives were very skeptical of baker. They were angry at him frequently. She chose him as a symbol of what that presidency was about. Really said a lot about her own politics and what she valued. Just noting the sky, it looks like has totally opened up on everyone there at the Reagan Library as theyre paying they respects to nancy reagan. The former first lady. Passed away in her home last sunday. As we stay on these pictures, david gergen, what is your favorite sort of behind the scenes nancy Ronald Reagan story . There were so there were so many. I love the fact that when they went to a Communion Service after he was elected, they stayed out in Northern Virginia at a farm frequently. They went to a Communion Service and they were both kneeling there to take the bread and to take the cup. And she went first. She got the chip and she accidentally dropped it in the wine and went ahead and drank it. He got his chip and dropped it in intentionally thinking that was what he was supposed to do. He followed her lead on so many things. If youve got time for a brief story. Yes. In the early years of his presidency, he was hosting a g8 summit conference. He had to entertain all sorts of people the next day, like on a wednesday, and met with melroni, a variety of world leaders. For each one of these meetings you needed a briefing paper so the booklet was quite thick and we knew nancy was going to be really angry because she never liked you to keep her husband late at night and he would read that darn book. Protector. He was the enforcer and protector. So jim baker gingerly gave the book to reagan and said, mr. President , please just go home and gaze over this, just skim it, dont read it. Youve got to get some sleep. The next day reagan walks into breakfast, he looks like hed been hit by a mack truck. His eyes were all droopy. We got ten minutes into the eggs and he said, fellas, ive got a confession to make. I sat down with your briefing book and you did a great job but did you know the sound of music was on last night . And thats my Favorite Movie so i never had a chance to read your briefing book but i didnt get to book until pretty late. Well, nancy cant go after us with a hatchet on this one, you know. But what was so striking was without the briefing book he was better in those meetings than we had ever seen him. Why was that . Because he went back to first principles. He talked about the larger picture. He wasnt weighed down with all the staff in our arrogance felt he had to read because he went back to first principles. Thats who he was. He was a big picture type fellow. He didnt get down to a lot of details and she supported him on that, understood and tried to protect him. But it was so interesting about his leadership that he knew that the role of the leader is to be up in the top of the ship guiding and navigating, not down in the engine room working with all the boilers and everything like that. And that she was by his side the whole way on that keeping him protected but helping him and talking to him as we heard earlier about the importance of talking to gorbachev, sitting down were others. Be ready to be pragmatic so that he was both principled and pragmatic and she was the secret to that success. What about the role of just the first lady . You know, we were talking earlier about how she brought glamour, hollywood glamour to the white house. She got a little bit of grief for redoing the executive mansion and the big fancy full set of china, but as we know that today, and again im reminded of that extraordinary picture of all these first ladies at this Funeral Service sitting, republicans, democrats together. Quite a unique bond they all share. Youre writing a book on precisely this right now. How did she sort of fit amidst all of them . I mean as a republican, its really interesting because shes the most like Jackie Kennedy, i think, in recent history because she understood the importance of the executive mansion, which is why Jackie Kennedy had a real affinity for her. I think it was really interesting that the good wife was read at the funeral. Proverbs 10 31. Theres a great story about her during a portrait sitting, she had rejected two official portraits of the president and the portrait artist said he knew he had to please her. He had done several portraits of president reagan. Nancy reagan sat behind him more than two hours while he painted this portrait. He said would you like to go sit in the living room . No, im fine sitting right here. So she was watching every stroke, which was incredibly unnerving for him. Dont you think this was very symbolic of her, how classy this service was. Of course. She chose it down to every d detail. You heard browning, you heard shakespeare, you heard john dunn. People rose to the occasion because everybody wanted to have her go out in a classy way. I think she brought that sense of you can do things really, really well and it moved people. And just to see everyone in that room was a beautiful, beautiful sight. You are watching our special coverage here of the Funeral Service of former first Lady Nancy Reagan. Were going to take a quick break. Well be right back over time what she referred to as latenight visits from my father ceased. She no longer heard his footsteps in the hall, but she never stopped missing him. She told me once that the reason she had the television on all the time was because it filled the house with sound and made her feel less lonely. She did love a party. And she would want this to be a party. This is not a tragedy, this is a celebration. The skies have opened here as people continue to step up, touch the casket of former first Lady Nancy Reagan. We have seen incredible show of support for this woman who passed away just last weekend from michelle obama, the former first lady, to former president , former first ladies, actors, celebrities, all paying respects to just a remarkable, remarkable woman. In the last 90 seconds i have for both of you, just closing thoughts on what weve seen and the legacy she leaves behind . America has been blessed with many great first ladies, from the early days, martha washington, abigail adams, dolly madison, all the way through today, the first ladies gathered there and former first ladies gathered there but nancy reagan will go right up in the top ranks now in the minds of the american public. Shell be well remembered just as her husband is. Today we had wonderfully stirring speeches and remembrances. I hope they remind all of us that politics can be ennobling. That washington, d. C. , can have a True Love Story and people deeply care about the country. I have this vision of her when she would on the anniversary of his death she would go and sit alone by his glaif side with no one but her secret Service Detail and that moving image of her. It was an elegant, beautiful tribute to her and she did really bring glamour back to the white house. Thank you for being with us. Special coverage continues now. Thanks, brooke. Welcome to the lead. Im jake tapper. Well get to todays news in just a moment, but first a moving tribute to former first Lady Nancy Reagan which wrapped up just minutes ago with scenic views of the mountains surrounding simi valley as a backdrop, a host of dignitaries gathering today to pay final respects to the wife of the late Ronald Reagan. All in one space. Others who have graced the halls of the white house, first Lady Michelle obama, former first lady Hillary Clinton, president george w. Bush, former First Lady Laura Bush and former first lady roslyn carter, wife o