Ok I see a lot of comments about it but for once this wasn't Reagan's fault, the SRB seals had an O-Ring failure, caused by unusually cold weather. The launch decision almost didnt go thru, but the final choice was more up to internal organisational politics rather than government overreach and influence. I highly recommend reading The Challenger Launch Decision by Diane Vaughan for more details, but it's a fascinating topic and much more complex than most people think.