Nikki: THIS MORNING PEOPLE
AROUND THE COUNTRY REACTING TO
THE DEATH OF FIRST TIME DADELY
INSTANCE SAY REAGAN, SHE
WASES -- NANCY REAGAN.
GEORGE W. BUSH SAYS MRS. REAGAN
WAS FIERCELY LOYAL TO HER
BELOVED HUSBAND AND WAS ONLY
MATCHED BY HER DEVOTION TO OUR
COUNTRY.
JOINING US NOW IS FORMER AIDES
TO PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING IN
THIS MORNING.
GOOD MORNING, NIKKI.
Nikki: YOU WERE WITH THERE
WITH THEM FOR MANY YEARS.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE
TIME YOU SPENT WITH THEM AND HOW
MANY YEARS THAT YOU WERE WORK
WITH THEM.
YOU KNOW I WORKED WITH THEM
IN '75 AGAINST GERALD FORD AND
OF THE ELECTION OF '76 HE WAS ON
THE PUBLIC SPEAKING, YOU KNOW,
AND SO WE CALLED THAT THE MASHED
DOE ANTICIPATE TOW CIRCUIT.
AND I TRAVELED WITH HIM AND THEN
IN '79 I TRAVELED WITH HER, I
WOULD TRAVEL WITH HIM AND THEN
WE WON.
Nikki: I KNOW WE'RE GOING
TO TALK ABOUT A STORY HE WAS
JUST TELLING ME ABOUT A FEW
MOMENTS AGO THAT WILL REALLY
TELL YOU HOW CLOSE HE BECAME
WITH THE FAMILY.
BUT CERTAINLY SHE WAS AN AMAZING
FORCE.
DID SO MANY THINGS FOR COUNTRY
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE SAID SHE HAD
A LOT OF INFLUENCE ON HER
HUSBAND.
SHE DID.
AND SHE -- WHATEVER THAT BOND
BETWEEN THEM, YOU WOULD HAVE AN
EVENT AND SHE WOULDSY SAY IS
THERE SOMETHING SPHWHRONG THEY
JUST DOTED ON EACH OTHER.
THAT LOOK IN HER EYE, IT WAS
REAL.
Nikki: I WAS LOOKING A AT
LETTER THEY WROTE TO HER, DID
THEY HAVE NICKNAMES FOR EACH
OTHERT IT WAS THE CUTEST IT
WILLING THING.
WE ALWAYS CALL HER RAINBOW
BECAUSE THAT WAS HER SECRET
SERVICE CODE NAME.
THEY WERE JUST HONEY OR -- I
DON'T KNOW ANY OF ANY PARTICULAR
ONE.
HE DID CALL HER HONEY A LOT.
YOU WERE MENTIONING A STORY
THAT WHEN SHE CALLED YOU ONE
TIME I KNOW YOU HAVE SO MANY
STORIES BECAUSE YOU WERE WITH
THEM FOR MANY YEARS.
BUT RELAY THAT STORY.
THIS IS GOOD.
IT IS A LOT ABOUT HOW THEY WERE.
MY PAGER WENT OFF, WE DIDN'T
HAVE CELL PHONES THEN.
SO I HAD TO BORROW THE PHONE TO
CALL THE SWITCHBOARD AND THEY
SAID, RAINBOW WANTS TO SPEAK
WITH YOU, WHICH WAS MRS. REAGAN
I CALL AND SHE SAID LANNY RONNIE
IS OUT IN THE GARAGE LOOKING FOR
CHRISTMAS PAPER, CAN YOU HURRY
UP AND HELP HIM LOOK.
SO I CANCELED MY ORDER FOR
LUNCH, WENT UP TO THE HOUSE.
PRESIDENT REAGAN IS IN THIS
STORAGE UNIT THEY HAD IN THE
GARAGE.
AND I'M NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO
WHAT HE'S DOING AND I FINALLY
FIND TABLE, TAKE IT INSIDE AND
SET IT UP AND HE SAYS, WELL,
NANCY LOOK WHAT I FOUND.
AND HE HAD FOUND OLD PHOTO
ALBUM, THREE MINUTES LATER IN
THE LIVING ROOM FLOOR OF THE
REAGAN'S HOUSE I AM LYING
BETWEEN THE PRESIDENT-ELECT OF
THE UNITED STATES AND THE FUTURE
FIRST LADY AND I AM
THE-PURSUANTER AND HE WOULD
ELBOW MANY, AND SAY WELL, SHE
WAS A REAL LOOKER.
TO WHICH SHE WOULD SAY, RON ANY.
I GUESS YOU HAD A CHANCE TO
REALLY LEARN, YOU KNOW, A LOT
FROM THEM, I MEAN BEING AROUND
THEM, SEEING THEM GO FROM LIVING
IN THEIR NORMAL HOUSE TO THE
WHITE HOUSE.
ABSOLUTELY, YOU KNOW AND --
ANN WHO WAS THE HOUSEKEEP, I
TOOK ANN UP THE FIRST TIME HE
WENT TO THE RANCH AFTER BEING
PRESIDENT-ELECT AND THEY SHOWED
UP SPVMENT WHEN THEY WERE AT THE
RANCH, THEY WERE UNBELIEVABLE.
HORSEBACK RIDING, YOU KNOW AND
THEY JUST SET OUT AND HAD THIS
GREAT PORCH AND IT WAS JUST
FANTASTIC.
THEY WERE JUST SO CLOSE.
WHAT IS THE THING YOU'LL
REMEMBER MOST ABOUT NANCY
REAGAN?
.
SHE WAS TOUGH, SHE WAS
OBSERVE HAVEN'T, BUT WHEN SHE
AND I WERE TOGETHER OR WHATEVER,
SHE'S AS SOFT AND EASY-GOING.
EVERYONE TALKED ABOUT SHE HAD A
HARD EDGE, SHE REALLY HAD A SOFT
EDGE.
I WENT AND BOUGHT MY WIFE AN
ENGAGEMENT RING AND I SHOWED IT
TO MRS. REAGAN AND SHE SAID, YOU
KNOW, LANNY, TELL SUSIE, DON'T
SEND US AN INVITATION, THERE IS
ONLY ONE PERSON AT THE WEDDING,
AND THAT IS THE BRIDE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING