Dear Diary

"Thurs. Feb. 4 [1982]: Day was filled with meetings, N.S.C. etc. We have problems with El Salvador -- the rebels seem to be winning. Guatemala could go any day & of course Nicaragua is another Cuba. Lots of options but no decisions. Mid afternoon I could hardly keep my eyes open -- in fact I didn't. -- Tonight early to bed."

So wrote Ronald Reagan in his presidential diary, selections from which are featured in the new Vanity Fair.

Well, as Reagan would say with a nod of the head, he figured out which "option" was suitable for Central America -- turn the region into a mass grave via death squads and terrorist groups like the contras, while engaging in secret and illegal arms deals with various actors, Israel and Iran among them.

Stirring stuff, Graydon Carter. Can't wait for Bin Laden's journals, Saddam's to-do lists, and Pol Pot's favorite Khmer recipes. At least you had the good sense to show Christy Turlington doing yoga. State terrorism goes down smoother when eye candy is attached.