London OKs 10-Ft. Bronze Reagan Statue

Longevity expert debunks myth that White House duty shortens life

(NEWSER) - President Obama's graying hair has set off the typical chatter that serving as president is so stressful it's bound to take years off a person's life. Not so, says a longevity expert in the Journal of the American Medical Association. In fact, our presidents tend to live longer than the rest of us. S. Jay Olshansky of the University of Illinois crunched the numbers involving 34 presidents who died of natural causes and found that 23 exceeded the life expectancy of men in their era, reports Reuters . More»

Late prez joins FDR and Eisenhower outside US embassy

(NEWSER) - Ronald Reagan joins Dwight Eisenhower and Franklin Roosevelt in London today—as a 10-foot bronze statue, reports the Independent . Commissioned to mark the 100-year anniversary of Reagan's birth, the unveiling ceremony outside the US embassy at Grosvenor Square will be attended by Condoleezza Rice, British foreign secretary William Hague, and Nancy Reagan. More»

'That would belittle Margaret,' source tells Guardian

(NEWSER) - Margaret Thatcher won't meet with Sarah Palin during the ex-Alaska governor's upcoming trip to England because Palin is "nuts," a source tells the Guardian . Palin intends to stop in England—her first trip ever to Europe—on her way to Sudan next month and had hoped to check in with the Grand Dame of conservatism. "I am just hoping Mrs. Thatcher is well enough to see me as I so admire her," Palin told the Sunday Times. Palin apparently hopes to place herself solidly in Thatcher's über rightwing aura and perhaps touch the mantle of the Iron Lady's political soulmate Ronald Reagan. But "Lady Thatcher will not be seeing Sarah Palin," a source said. "That would be belittling for Margaret. Sarah Palin is nuts." More»

Will Bunch tackles five enduring myths about Ronald Reagan

(NEWSER) - Today is the 100th birthday of Ronald Reagan, so Will Bunch takes the opportunity to clear up five commonly believed myths about the conservative icon in the Washington Post :

• Reagan was a very popular president. While Reagan scores high marks now, his approval rating in office averaged just 52.8%. In fact, the 40th president had huge swings in popularity—the highest after he was shot in 1981, the lowest after unemployment peaked in 1982 (35%). At the peak of Iran-Contra, about one in three Americans wanted him to quit.

How two political families forged a friendship across the aisle

(NEWSER) - Peggy Noonan recounts the unlikely friendship of the Kennedys and the Reagans and the time "grace met grace"—when President Reagan ventured to Ted's house in 1985 to make a speech honoring JFK and raise money for his new library. "A friendship that had already begun deepened," writes Noonan in the Wall Street Journal. More»