Reagan's Eloquent Farewell

It was a perhaps unprecedented moment in modern history: four U.S. Presidents standing side by side. As he bade farewell to Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon on the South Lawn of the White House before they departed for Sadat's funeral, Ronald Reagan paid tribute to the fallen Egyptian. Excerpts:

Today the American people stand beside the Egyptian people, the people of a new nation with the people of an ancient land. We stand together in mourning the loss of Anwar Sadat and rededicating ourselves to the cause for which he so willingly gave his life.

There are moments in history when the martyrdom of a single life can symbolize all that is wrong with an age and all that is right about humanity. Anwar Sadat, a man of peace in a time of violence, understood his age. In his final moments, as he had in all his days, he stood in defiance of the enemies of peace, the enemies of humanity. Today those of us who follow him can do no less. And so to those who rejoice in the death of Anwar Sadat, to those who seek to set class against class, nation against nation, people against people, those who would choose violence over brotherhood and who prefer war over peace, let us stand in defiance and let our words of warning to them be clear: in life you feared Anwar Sadat, but in death you must fear him more. For the memories of this good and brave man will vanquish you. The meaning of his life and the cause for which he stood will endure and triumph.

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