Caspar Weinberger Dies At 88

[GI Joe]

New York -

The following is a statement from Forbes Inc.:

Caspar "Cap" W. Weinberger, President Ronald Reagan's secretary of defense from 1980 through 1987, died today in Bangor, Maine, following a brief illness. He was a resident of Mount Desert, Maine.

At his bedside were his wife, Jane, of 63 years; his daughter, Arlin; and his son, Caspar Jr. He was 88 years old.

Caspar W. Weinberger Jr. said of his father, "A great American, a respected world diplomat and a member of 'the greatest generation' died this morning in Maine, my mother's native state. Caspar Weinberger was more than a four-time Cabinet secretary, more than a knight of the English empire knighted by Queen Elizabeth, more, too, than Ronald Reagan's secretary of defense. He was also a family man and my father, a grandfather and a great-grandfather."

http://www.forbes.com/business/2006/03/28/caspar-weinberger-forbes-obit-cx_mb_0328weinberger.html

[GI Joe]

Statement by RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman on the Passing of Caspar Weinberger and Lyn Nofziger

3/28/2006 2:07:00 PM

To: National Desk

Contact: Tracey Schmitt of the RNC Communications Staff, 202-863-8614

WASHINGTON, March 28 /U.S. Newswire/ -- RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman issued the following statement today on the passing of Caspar Weinberger and Lyn Nofziger:

"America mourns two great patriots whose public service protected peace at home and expanded freedom in the world. President Reagan had a sign on his Oval Office desk that read, 'There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit.' Lyn Nofziger and Caspar Weinberger helped America, and one of our greatest Presidents ever, achieve great things by living this credo.

"Our prayers are with the Nofzinger and Weinberger families."

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=63055

[GI Joe]

Remembering Nofziger and Weinberger

Two giants of American politics and government -- both Republicans -- have died.

Here is how Lyn Nofziger described himself on his website. "If you're looking for a female exhibitionist with a digital camera you've come to the wrong place."

"I am a Californian, a World War II army veteran, a former newspaperman, a politician and the author of four published Western novels. ... I served in Ronald Reagan's governor's office and White House and in Richard Nixon's White House. I have run and participated in numerous political campaigns, including five for president, and have won some and lost some. Once I even worked at the Republican National Committee. I am a Republican because I believe that freedom is more important than government-provided security. Sometimes I wish I were a Democrat because Democrats seem to have more fun. At other times I wish I were a Libertarian because Republicans are too much like Democrats."

http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/03/remembering_nof.html

[GI Joe]

Lyn Nofziger, brash aide, adviser to Ronald Reagan

JSU GRAD HELPED SEVERAL CAMPAIGNS
By Jon Thurber
Los Angeles Times

Lyn Nofziger, the irascible and outspoken aide who served Ronald Reagan most prominently as communications director during his two terms as California governor, died Monday. He was 81.

Mr. Nofziger died at his home in Falls Church, Va., family members said. For the past year, he had been battling kidney cancer that spread throughout his body. Until his health took a turn for the worse late last year, Mr. Nofziger was working as a political consultant and contributing to his blog Lynnofziger.com.

Mr. Nofziger, who graduated from San Jose State University's journalism program in 1950, left his post as Washington correspondent for Copley News Service to join the Reagan campaign for governor during the summer of 1965 -- and advised him through the rest of his political career.

``He understood the press and how to weed out the important things with the press,'' said Stu Spencer, a former campaign manager of Reagan's. ``He was a very important cog in the original Reagan effort.''

Irreverent

A raucous man who often sported Mickey Mouse ties and other colorful apparel, Mr. Nofziger was so irreverent at times that he was considered ill-suited for the role of White House press secretary after Reagan was elected president in 1980. Mr. Nofziger became assistant to the president for political affairs instead.

But Mr. Nofziger's finest hour, Spencer said Monday, was after the president and his press secretary, James Brady, were shot outside a Washington hotel a little more than two months after Reagan took office. Mr. Nofziger stepped into the breach for the fallen Brady and served as press secretary during the early days of the crisis.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/14203713.htm