What her detractors failed to understand (and I was among them) was the substantive role she played behind the scenes at the White House in keeping her husband's presidency on track.She was fiercely protective of her husband's image, less so of her own, and she paid the price.Years later, with the benefit of hindsight and after watching Hillary Clinton's failed effort to achieve health-care reform, I came to believe Nancy Reagan deserved a fairer assessment.Nancy with the centrist face: Derided as an elitist, Mrs. Reagan's impact was unequaled.she was a force for good. She rarely left fingerprints, but she got the job done, and her job was to play up her husband's strengths and cover for his weaknesses. She did both very well.She is without doubt an effective First Lady, and she may yet win our hearts.In looking back at these notes, I realize how much it meant to her to gain a measure of affection after being treated so harshly in the public eye.
Eleanor Clift