In politics and, indeed, in many ventures, style, symbolism, and appearances matter. No politician understood that better than Ronald Reagan.
I remember the famous Brandenburg Gate speech in West Germany. In that speech, President Reagan presented us with one of the most powerful images of 20th-century politics – the American President, standing tall before what was once a symbol of German might but was reduced to a symbol of German division. The American President, addressing his Soviet counterpart openly, made the demand that the Soviet Premiere set the East German people free, with the immortal words, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.“
It was a powerful moment. Not long after, the German people themselves tore down that wall.
On Saturday, we were presented with a different kind of…
