WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of people filed silently past Ronald Reagan’s body at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday as Americans paused to honor their 40th president, recalling his optimism and kindness and playing down the divisive aspects of his presidency.
At least 2,000 people an hour filed slowly past the flag-draped coffin in the Capitol Rotunda, some of them waiting seven hours.
Many past and present world leaders and veterans of the Cold War struggle against communism that Reagan helped to end were making their way to Washington for the state funeral.
They included former Soviet Communist leader Mikhail Gorbachev, formally representing Russia, and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a staunch Reagan ally.
Ordinary Americans came in their thousands.
Jil Dorman of Arlington, Virginia, and her teenage son, waited for more than three hours for their chance to file past the coffin. “I wanted to pay my respects to Ronald Reagan and be part of history with my son,” she said.
Many stopped to sign condolence books that will be sent to the Reagan family. One entry read: “We’re a better world for having had you in it. Deek Dollak, Alexandria, Virginia.”
Another read: “You were my first and best vote. Larry Perkins. Manassas, Virginia.”
Reagan died on Saturday after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. He bade farewell to the American people in a moving letter 10 years ago and had since lived in seclusion, cared for by his wife, Nancy.
Since his death, the U.S. media has provided blanket coverage and glowing assessments of the historical legacy and sunny personality of a man rated by some as one of the most significant U.S. presidents of the 20th century.
The coverage has played down the fact that Reagan was often seen as a sharply divisive figure during his eight years in office, between 1981 and 1989.
FUNERAL SERVICE
Reagan’s coffin will lie in state until Friday morning, when a funeral service will take place at the National Cathedral. Around 150,000 people were expected to file past the casket during those 34 hours.
Robert Thompson, popular culture professor at Syracuse University, said the collective mourning provided a welcome break from a string of unpleasant news from Iraq.
Ridership on the Washington underground Metro system totaled 850,636 trips on Wednesday, the highest in the system’s 28-year history and an indication of the impact the funeral is having on the city.
After the funeral, Reagan’s body will be flown back to California one last time for a sunset burial on the grounds of his presidential library overlooking rolling desert hills just north of Los Angeles.
Close Reagan friend and aide Michael Deaver said people were flocking to pay tribute to Reagan because of his personality and his ability to relate to people no matter who they were.
“He respected people and treated everyone the same whether you were a king or a plumber,” he said.
Celebrated by his supporters as a champion of freedom and free enterprise, Reagan also provoked furious opposition at home and abroad. Opponents were frustrated that none of the scandals of those years seemed to stick to Reagan and dubbed him the “Teflon president.”
Some Americans, especially blacks, still recall his refusal to oppose South Africa’s apartheid regime while other criticize him for failing to mobilize government resources against the growing AIDS epidemic that exploded on his watch.
