Congress Honors Reagan With Statue

In an era when the GOP is searching for its next great leader, the erection of a seven-foot-tall, 500-lb bronze statue honoring former Preident Ronald Reagan turned Republican heads on Capitol Hill today. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and House Republican leader John Boehner accompanied a tearful Nancy Reagan at the unveiling of her late husband's bronze likeness in the United States Capitol today. Boehner held a piece of the Berlin Wall during and praised Reagan's work for "free trade, low taxes, deregulation, and curbing runaway inflation," while Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) highlighted personal ties with the former president. Despite the presence of Democratic leaders, The New York Times' The Caucus blog reports, "Democrats generally were hard to find in the audience, even Democrats from Reagan's home state." Asked whether he was invited, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass) responded, "When was it? I didn't even know it was happening."