Reagan Adviser Michael Deaver, RIP

He once stated in a television interview that he loved Ronald and Nancy Reagan. The look in his eyes, the body language, the facial expressions as he spoke those words had a congruence that told us that what he was saying was the absolute truth.

And his actions were entirely consistent with his expression of devotion.

Michael Deaver, former top aide to President Ronald Reagan, died Saturday from pancreatic cancer at the age of 69.

Deaver was part of an elite group--the inner circle that managed the political affairs of President Reagan. That inner circle was very small, consisting of Deaver, Edwin Meese III, and James Baker III.

But it was Deaver alone who had been with the President the longest and who was counted by the Reagans not only as a trusted adviser but as a very close friend.

Deaver was one of only a handful of non-family members to be allowed visits with the former President as Alzheimer's Disease had robbed him of most of his memory. One such meeting in particular was during the late-1990s. By then Reagan had lost his memory of everyone except for Nancy.

Mindful that the former President loved horses, Deaver brought Reagan a gift that day--a large book containing photographs of horses. As the frail Reagan opened the book and looked at one of the pictures, he looked up at Deaver, eyes shining, as he pointed to the picture and said, merely, 'Horse!'

It was the only thing Reagan said during the entire visit.

Michael Deaver joined the Reagan team very shortly after Reagan was elected as Governor of California in 1966. It was there that he met the woman who would become his wife, who was also a Reagan staffer.

From 1966 forward, Deaver was a key player in Reagan's political career. As a former Hollywood actor Reagan believed that public perception and image were just as important as words and substance...not that Reagan's pronouncements were in any way lacking in substance.

'The Great Communicator,' as he was called, delivered some of the most eloquent and memorable speeches in the history of the Republic.

But it was Deaver who made sure that the backdrop and settings of these magnificent speeches were every bit as memorable.

For example, when Reagan went to the beaches of Normandy to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Allied Invasion during WWII, it was Deaver who insisted that the speech be given against the backdrop of that breathtaking overlook that peered downward to the shores where the troops landed that day.

Reagan proceeded to deliver one of the most moving speeches ever given in the history of the free world.

Deaver left the Reagan White House in 1985 to pursue his own business interests, establishing Michael K. Deaver and Associates as a major public affairs firm. The pressures of life in Washington, however, took their toll on Deaver, who began drinking heavily. Although he got sober later that same year, he was convicted of perjury in 1986 and was sentenced to community service in an recovery-based organization.

Many wondered why President Reagan did not issue Deaver a pardon. When the Reagan Diaries were released for the first time earlier this year, we found the answer.

Reagan kept copious notes and was a prolific writer. In the diary we find an entry penned by Reagan which noted that a Presidential pardon was indeed offered to Deaver. But Deaver refused to accept it. He preferred instead to serve out his sentence.

And this was perhaps the glimpse into the true character of the man. Deaver had dropped the ball and made some mistakes. When he got sober he took responsibility for those mistakes. And for the next 20 years he remained involved with the recovery program in Washington called 'Clean and Sober Streets.'

For the last 14 years of his life, Deaver was prominent in Edelman, a public relations firm. He became Chairman of Edelman's Washington office in 2006, the same year he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Without exception friends and career associates of Michael Deaver attest to the character, sincerity, and loyalty of the man.

Presidents need trusted advisers with those qualities. Deaver served Mr. Reagan and his country admirably. May he truly rest in peace.