Feb. 6 marked the centennial of the birth of our 40th president, Ronald Wilson Reagan. A few years ago I read the then newly released The Reagan Diaries (HarperCollins, 2007), the edited personal daily entries of President Reagan, which he maintained during his eight-year presidency. One of the most interesting entries is the one from March 30, 1981 (the day he was shot by would-be assassin, John Hinckley):