Americans, especially those on the right, revered Margaret Thatcher, the three-term prime minister of Britain who died Monday at age 87, as a key partner of President Ronald Reagan in the fight against communism.
At a time when Americans’ attention has been focused on domestic matters, with United States’ role in the world has been a subject of debate as operations in Afghanistan and Iraq wind down, leaders noted Ms. Thatcher’s influence on American foreign policy â€" though did not use it to draw conclusions about today’s questions.
President Obama on Monday called her “an example to our daughters that there is no glass ceiling that can’t be shattered.â€
He continued, in a statement, “And as an unapologetic supporter of our trans-Atlantic alliance, she knew that with strength and resolve we could win the cold war and extend freedom’s promise.â€
And Senator Mitch McConnell, the minority leader, said in a statement, “A great ally and admirer of the United States and a trusted partner of Ronald Reagan during some of the most challenging days of the cold war, Margaret Thatcher never hesitated to remind Americans of their own obligations to the cause of freedom and of the need for political courage and confidence in the face of long odds.â€
For women on both sides of the aisle, Mrs. Thatcher, one of the strongest female leaders in Western history, was a source of inspiration. Gov. Nikki Haley, the Republican governor of South Carolina who has faced her own political trials in recent years, hailed her on Facebook as “independent, strong, loved, and loathed.†Ms. Haley added, “We have lost an amazing leader.â€
And Donna Brazile, a Democratic strategist, found grounds for praise, though they shared little ideology.
(Though a later, somewhat cryptic message, seemed to draw angry responses in Mrs. Thatcher’s defense.)
At a time when Republicans are mostly out of political power, tributes to her included nostalgia for a golden era.
“The greatest peacetime prime minister in British history is dead. Margaret Thatcher, a grocer’s daughter, stared down elites, union bosses, and communists to win three consecutive elections, establish conservative principles in Western Europe, and bring down the Iron Curtain,†House Speaker John A. Boehner said in a statement. “There was no secret to her values - hard work and personal responsibility - and no nonsense at all in her leadership. She once said, ‘Defeat I do not recognize the meaning of the word.’â€
Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, in his trademark Twitter style, also praised her stewardship:
For other conservatives, including Representative Steve Stockman, a firebrand freshman congressman from Texas, her passing prompted a call to arms.
