Top Links: Remembering ‘Maggie’: Margaret Thatcher, 1925-2013

A look back at one of the most polarizing — and powerful — leaders of the 20th Century, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who passed away this morning.

Top story: A look back at one of the most polarizing — and powerful — leaders of the 20th Century, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who passed away this morning.

• “For admirers, Thatcher was a savior who rescued Britain from ruin and laid the groundwork for an extraordinary economic renaissance. For critics, she was a heartless tyrant who ushered in an era of greed that kicked the weak out onto the streets and let the rich become filthy rich.” (The Associated Press)
• The Guardian also has a very impressive, comprehensive look at her life. (The Guardian)
• “For my generation, hard to imagine a world without Margaret Thatcher. We still define ourselves by whether we were for or against her.” (Robert Peston)
• “Thatcher’s nickname, the ‘Iron Lady’ was coined by Captain Yuri Gavrilov in 1976 in the Soviet newspaper Red Star!” (Igor Volsky)
• From 2011: “The conservative legend about her time in power is at odds with the facts. In this legend, she was even more aggressive than Reagan in cutting taxes and the welfare state. But that is not true.” (Bruce Bartlett)
• “I wish US conservatives would embrace the apparent Thatcherite consensus in favor of socialized health care.” (Matt Yglesias)
• Four reasons why Thatcher would not fit in today’s Republican Party, including her belief in climate change and support for gun control laws. (Think Progress)
• Mitt Romney used a famous Thatcher campaign poster in his 2012 campaign. (Judd Legum)
• “Don’t expect to see US-style encomiums to Thatcher in South Africa, where she’s remembered as a key ally of the apartheid regime” (Tony Karon)
• Thatchers said in 1987 that Nelson Mandela’s “ANC is a typical terrorist organization.” (Vivienne Walt)
• A guide to the best anti-Thatcher music of the 1980s. (Dave Weigel)
• Margaret Thatcher: “In politics if you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman.” (Sara Kenigsberg)
• Thatcher, 1992: “’The trouble with you, John, is that you spine does not reach your brain.” (Jonathan Karl)
• “Lady Thatcher was once asked to name her greatest achievement. She smiled and said ‘Tony Blair’” (Joanne Cash)
• Prime Minister Thatcher, at the White House in 1979, cracks a joke about a recent Redskins-Cowboys game (starts ~ 4:10) (Mike Memoli)