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The 784-page 'The Reagan Diaries,' has made its debut at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, a day before the $35 book's national release. Nancy Reagan placed two of her late husband's five maroon, leather-bound diaries in a display case. Reagan wrote diary notations each night for his eight-years as one of the 20th century's most popular presidents, with the exception of a few days after he was shot by John Hinckley Jr. — 'Getting shot hurts,' he wrote. On Jan. 19, 1989, Reagan wrote simply: 'Tomorrow I stop being President.' The turbulent sweep of the White House years provides unvarnished details of acrimonious moments with his kids — 'Insanity is hereditary you catch it from your kids' — optimism after meeting Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev (he refers to him as Gorby) and fears of war in the Middle East — 'Sometimes I wonder if we are destined to witness Armageddon.' Reagan wrote of the 1986 explosion of the space shuttle Challenger ('A day we'll remember for the rest of our lives') and the 1981 assassination of Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat ('He was truly a great man, a kind man with warmth and humor.'). 'Many times when books by historians or authors or journalists are out, it's their take. This is the president writing. No spin. No agenda,' library executive director Duke Blackwood said.
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