Reagan Statue Unveiled on Hill

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»

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.

A Democrat counters that he's too controversial

(NEWSER) - A North Carolina congressman is trying to ensure Ronald Reagan a “place of honor on our nation’s currency” by replacing Ulysses S. Grant’s mug on the $50 dollar bill with the Gipper’s. Republican Patrick T. McHenry has introduced legislation ahead of next year's centennial of Reagan's birth. “President Reagan is indisputably one of the most transformative presidents of the 20th century,” he writes in a letter seeking support for his bill. More»

Protesters will roam Capitol hallways to confront lawmakers

(NEWSER) - Thousands of health care reform protesters gathered in Washington today as part of Michele Bachmann’s “Super Bowl of Freedom.” Participants wielding signs like “Waterboard Congress” and chanting "kill the bill" congregated outside the Capitol to hear Bachmann, other GOP lawmakers, and even Jon Voight assail the reform legislation as too costly and too partisan. “Are they going to listen?” Bachmann asked the crowd. “Oh, yeah, they’re going to listen.” More»