I disagree with the majority of the posts but I'm going to answer this question because I feel it was sincerely asked and I will give my sincere answer.
I think Reagan was the right President for that period in the world and our country's history. In the 44 years he was in politics he never swerved from his belief that the soviet form of communism was wrong. Whether or not you can agree with that, there are very few politicians who will stand by a belief no matter its popularity. I believe that along with Gorbachev (sorry if it is spelled wrong) he helped to bring down the Iron Curtain and freed so much of the world for democracy. Whether or not you agree with that, there are thousands of people in the world who today enjoy reading the paper, listening to the radio, attending or NOT attending church, and basically make choices because of Reagan's passion for democracy. As for the United States, remember that at the end of the 70's America was hated by much of the world and not so keen on itself (in fact, Carter made a presidential address where he said something on the order of, people are unemployed, America is disliked, inflation is high, well too bad, get used to it, your expectations are too high...) (hated then much more so than today) and Reagan brought a return to pride in being American among the citizenry and helped to restore an okay view of America in the eyes of the world. Reagan also cut taxes which stimulated the economy which reduced unemployment, inflation, and interest rates. By cutting taxes he was able to generate more money for the government funding lots of programs and encouraging welfare reform. Concerning the Marines killed in Beirut he took personal and public responsibility for that. He gave a very moving speech in which he said that it happened on his watch and therefore was his responsibility and that he would take full blame. He appointed Sandra Day O'Connor to the Supreme Court. She was the first woman Supreme Court Judge. This opened the door for many women and inspired many more to dream and achieve big. While lesser known his main speech writer was a woman as well. So whether you like him, think he did a good job, he stood for his values, took responsibility for his actions, helped to create democracy across the globe, and brought hope to a lot of US citizens.
Hope that helps explain why so many people consider him to be such a great President. He is not perfect. He is human and made mistakes. He wasn't into details but into the big picture. He let his cabinet handle the details which led to problems (Iran Contra scandal etc). But all in all he helped advance women's liberation, liberated many from tyranny, and believed in himself and his country. I'm glad that I had a chance to be part of that time in our history by just being here and being alive.
Respectfully,
Jenne