RIP Ronald Reagan

“yeah that is my plan. I work right next to the New Carrolton station so I will walk over to the metro and head on into DC on Wedensday.”

“How nice is your car? Is it on the top 10 most stolen list? ;)”

“An Optimist's Legacy

By George F. Will
Sunday, June 6, 2004; Page B07


One measure of a leader's greatness is this: By the time he dies the dangers that summoned him to greatness have been so thoroughly defeated, in no small measure by what he did, it is difficult to recall the magnitude of those dangers or of his achievements. So if you seek Ronald Reagan's monument, look around and consider what you do not see.


The Iron Curtain that scarred a continent is gone, as is the Evil Empire responsible for it. The feeling of foreboding -- the sense of shrunken possibilities -- that afflicted Americans 20 years ago has been banished by a new birth of the American belief in perpetually expanding horizons.

In the uninterrupted flatness of the Midwest, where Reagan matured, the horizon beckons to those who would be travelers. He traveled far, had a grand time all the way, and his cheerfulness was contagious. It was said of Dwight Eisenhower -- another much-loved son of the prairie -- that his smile was his philosophy. That was true of Reagan, in this sense: He understood that when Americans have a happy stance toward life, confidence flows and good things happen. They raise families, crops, living standards and cultural values; they settle the land, make deserts bloom, destroy tyrannies.

Reagan was the last president for whom the Depression -- the years when America stopped working -- was a formative experience. Remarkably, the 1930s formed in him a talent for happiness. It was urgently needed in the 1980s, when the pessimism of the intelligentsia was infecting people with the idea that America had passed its apogee and was ungovernable.

It also was said then that the presidency destroyed its occupants. But Reagan arrived at the office, looked around and said, "This is fun. Let's saddle up and go for a ride." Which he did, sometimes in the middle of the afternoon. Scolds, who thought presidents were only serious when miserable, were scandalized.

In an amazingly fecund 27-month period, Margaret Thatcher, Pope John Paul II and Reagan came to office. The pope and the president had been actors. Reagan said he wondered how presidents who have not been actors could function. Certainly the last century's greatest democratic leaders -- Churchill, FDR -- mastered the theatrical dimension of politics.

Good actors, including political actors, do not deal in unrealities. Rather, they create realities that matter -- perceptions, aspirations, allegiances. Reagan in his presidential role made vivid the values, particularly hopefulness and friendliness, that give cohesion and dynamism to this continental nation.

A democratic leader's voice should linger in his nation's memory, an echo of his exhortations. Reagan's mellifluous rhetoric lingers like a melody that evokes fond memories. Because of demagogues, rhetoric has a tainted reputation in our time. However, Reagan understood that rhetoric is central to democratic governance. It can fuse passion and persuasion, moving free people to freely choose what is noble.

He understood the axiom that people, especially Americans, with their Founders' creed and vast reservoirs of decency, more often need to be reminded than informed. And he understood the economy of leadership -- the need to husband the perishable claim a leader has on the attention of this big, boisterous country.

To some, Reagan seemed the least complicated of men -- an open book that the country had completely read. However, he had the cunning to know the advantage of being underestimated. He was more inward than he seemed. And much tougher. The stricken fields of American and world politics are littered with those who did not anticipate the steel behind his smile.

The oldest person ever elected president had a sure sense of modernity, as when he told students at Moscow University that mankind is emerging from the economy of muscle and entering the economy of mind. "The key," he said, "is freedom," but freedom grounded in institutions such as courts and political parties. Otherwise, "freedom will always be looking over its shoulder. A bird on a tether, no matter how long the rope, can always be pulled back."

Reagan was a friendly man with one close friend. He married her. He had one other great love, for the American people, a love intense, public and reciprocated.

Presidents usually enter the White House as shiny and freshly minted dimes and leave tarnished. Reagan left on the crest of a wave of affection that intensified in response to the gallantry with which he met illness in his final years.

Today, Americans gratefully recall that at a turbulent moment in their national epic, Reagan became the great reassurer, the steadying captain of our clipper ship. He calmed the passengers -- and the sea.”

“Listen to bearmagnet, take the METRO!”

“You know, what is sad about this whole thing, and sad about other's who have Alzheimers, is this:

They do not remember who they were when they pass away.

They don't remember you.”

“"Remarkably, the 1930s formed in him a talent for happiness."

No kiddin'?
Hey, if I was shaggin' all those actresses, I'd be a Smilin' Jack too.

OK, OK, I'll stop...........naaaawwwwww!!!!!

"He understood that when Americans have a happy stance toward life, confidence flows and good things happen. They raise families, crops, living standards and cultural values; they settle the land, make deserts bloom, destroy tyrannies."

Ron avoided "destroying" the tyrannies in South Africa and The Philipines as best he could.
Ferdie Marcos was a close friend and hey, the Afrikaners are white for cryin' out loud!.”

“He had one other great love, for the American people, a love intense, public and reciprocated.

Presidents usually enter the White House as shiny and freshly minted dimes and leave tarnished. Reagan left on the crest of a wave of affection that intensified in response to the gallantry with which he met illness in his final years.

Today, Americans gratefully recall that at a turbulent moment in their national epic, Reagan became the great reassurer, the steadying captain of our clipper ship. He calmed the passengers -- and the sea."
stratdewd
11:37:53 AM
06/07/04

Laying it on a bit thick there. He may be your God but maybe you should leave it in church?”

“that was george will speaking, BM”

“The Pope speaks for God, the Bishops preach for the pope, etc.

Anyway, I apologize. Maybe I should have said your church is laying it on a bit thick? ;)”

“Yeah, George Will trips my gag reflex.

I didn't hear about Ron until Sunday.

Saturday we had a bunch of international students over to the house for a cook-in/out.

These people are from Germany, Denmark, Taiwan and Japan.
None of these folks think highly of our fearless leader, but there were better things to discuss than dim-witted presidents.”

“Maybe Kerry can use the old, "I knew Ronald Reagan and you're no Ronald Reagan..." when/if he debates Bush.”

“Never voted for the man, and never would. He had an innate sense of humor though, that was refreshing. Like the campaign debate where he promised not to make age a campaign issue because he didn't want to take advantage of his opponent's inexperience. Even ol Fritz had a good laugh over that one.

Or the response to Jimmy Carter during a debate: "There you go again!"

Most of all were the airplane interplays between Reagan and Sam Donaldson, when Donaldson would shout out a question and Reagan would cup his ear as though he couldn't hear.”

“...then he'd steal Donaldson's hairpiece! What a card!”

“"that was george will speaking, BM".

But of course strat, it couldn't have been you.”

“It’s hard to fault a leader, who after the tragedy in Beirut, had this to say: "If there is to be blame, it properly rests here in this office and with this president. And I accept responsibility for the bad, as well as the good."

Ahhh… for the good ole days…”

“Yeah, well, he didn't have George Tenet to kick around!”

“RIP Ronnie while we pay for the trillions you ran up in debt,

while we pay for your mess you created when you built up Saddam Hussein,

while we pay for your support of Osama bin Laudin & his mujahadeen freedom fighters,

while we pay for your willingness to negotiate with terrorists despite your blatant lies that you didn't, (no integrity there)

thanks for defeating communism, they tell us that gas prices are sky high now because of Communist China's booming economy,

and most of all, thank you for giving America optimism, even if your presidency was based on astrology. Your "convictions" to do what the astrology charts suggested were certainly admirable.”

“Carter expresses grief over loss of former president

The Associated Press - PLAINS, Ga.

Former President Jimmy Carter said Sunday he joins the rest of the nation in mourning the loss of former President Ronald Reagan, the man who defeated him in the 1980 presidential election.

"This is a sad day for our country," Carter said before teaching Sunday school at his church, Maranatha Baptist Church, in his hometown of Plains. "I probably know as well as anybody what a formidable communicator and campaigner that President Reagan was. It was because of him that I was retired from my last job."

Carter normally issues statements through the Carter Center in Atlanta, but as of Sunday the Center had not released any response. Carter told a handful of reporters gathered at the church Sunday that he would make no formal comment or answer questions after the service.

But he told about 300 people gathered for his Sunday school class that he and his wife, Rosalynn, had been close to Reagan's widow, Nancy, in recent years, while Nancy Reagan comforted her Alzheimer's-stricken husband. He did not elaborate.

Carter said Nancy Reagan recently gave his wife advice on how hard to swing the champagne bottle when she christened the Navy's latest submarine, the USS Jimmy Carter, on Saturday in Connecticut.

The couple learned of Reagan's death upon their return to Plains on Saturday, Carter said.

"He presented some very concise, very clear messages that appealed to the American people," Carter said. "I think throughout his term in office he was very worthy of the moniker that was put on him as the 'Great Communicator.'"

While campaigning against Carter, whose term was plagued by an energy crisis, unemployment and inflation, Reagan said, "Inflation is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose your job. Recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his job."

Carter, a Democrat, served as the nation's 39th president until his defeat to Reagan, a Republican who became one of the nation's most beloved presidents and whose policies set the stage for the collapse of Communism.

The other surviving ex-presidents are Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

"It was a very sobering day for the country to lose a former president," Carter said. "I want to express my admiration for him and his wife and associate myself with the grief that America feels."

Carter's lesson was on the Book of Hebrew, which he said was written to inspire and strengthen the beliefs of early Christians. Carter said that in his own life there have been "times of disillusionment and doubt."

"We go through ups and downs," he said. "I was distressed when we lost (to Reagan). But I think it's important to ask, 'What am I in the eyes of Jesus Christ?'"”

“Kinda goes to show how oblivious one is to what's going on when out in the woods. I didn't hear about this until late Sunday afternoon while driving home. The DJ on the radio just casually mentioned it (like he could have been talking about the weather), and when it finally sank in, I almost swerved the car off the freeway...

Anyway, I don't align with either side of the political spectrum, but I gotta tell ya, the man knew what had to be done, and he knew how to get it done, whether you agree with him or not. My hat goes off to him. RIP.”

“amen bruh!”

“I saw a pic of his daugher, not Maureen, the other one, and I think it was from the wake, and she's wearing a sloppy looking white shirt with a black shirt. She looked like she was going bar hopping after work, and not to her dads wake or funeral. She couldn't find a black shirt or a black dress?

Then there is Ron. I always see him hosting dog shows on the Animal Planet. President Regan's kids are looney, not that there's anything wrong with hosting dog shows.”

“I wonder if Ronnie and his son ever made up after Jr told him he was gay?”

“I'm glad he died! I get this Friday off!”

“Reagan may have died but mythlogy will live on. It's part of human nature....we crave this stuff.

Like I've said before, in light of this messianic moron W, I miss Reagan.”

“Flags at half-mast for the death of former President Ronald Reagan on top of Mount Washington.

”

“"I'm glad he died! I get this Friday off!"
Mutt
08:50:55 AM
06/08/04

My commute to work will be easy. Thank God I don't have to cross the funeral procession.”

“Well, a link is better than a picture.”

“Ronald Reagan, Ron Jr., Nancy Reagan and Patti Davis, circa 1967. Inset, Ron Reagan Jr. today.

Reagan blasts Bush

"My father crapped bigger ones than George Bush," says the former president's son, in a flame-throwing conversation about the war and the Bush administration's efforts to lay claim to the Reagan legacy.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

By David Talbot

April 14, 2003 | The Bush inner circle would like to think of George W.'s presidency as more of an extension of Ronald Reagan's than of his one-term father's. Reagan himself, who has long suffered from Alzheimer's disease, is unable to comment on those who lay claim to his political legacy. But his son, Ron Jr., is -- and he's not pleased with the association.

"The Bush people have no right to speak for my father, particularly because of the position he's in now," he said during a recent interview with Salon. "Yes, some of the current policies are an extension of the '80s. But the overall thrust of this administration is not my father's -- these people are overly reaching, overly aggressive, overly secretive, and just plain corrupt. I don't trust these people."

Reagan spoke with Salon from his home in Seattle, where he lives with his wife, Doria, a psychologist. A former ballet dancer ("At 45, I'm afraid those days are over"), he has worked in recent years as a magazine journalist and a TV personality, currently hosting dog shows for the Animal Planet network ("I live 'Best in Show'"). He and Doria have three cats, but no children ("They're like kids, without the tuition"). Though he never followed his father into politics, Reagan takes a strong interest in public issues, serving on the board of the Creative Coalition, an organization founded in 1989 by performers like Susan Sarandon and Christopher Reeve to politically mobilize entertainers and artists. Reagan recently moderated a Creative Coalition panel discussion in San Francisco on the topic of free expression during wartime, featuring Alec Baldwin on the left and Michael Medved on the right (and a smoldering Sean Penn in the audience).

Reagan, still as lean as he was in his dancing days, has a sharp tongue -- but like his father, he has a knack for softening his barbs with a charming affability and disarming sense of humor.

Reagan took a swipe at Bush during the 2000 GOP convention in Philadelphia, which featured a tribute to his father, telling the Washington Post's Lloyd Grove, "The big elephant sitting in the corner is that George W. Bush is simply unqualified for the job... What's his accomplishment? That he's no longer an obnoxious drunk?" Since then he's been quiet about the current occupant of the White House -- until now.

Some observers have compared Bush's persona as an intellectually challenged but politically gifted leader to that of Reagan. But the younger Reagan vehemently rejects the analogy. "The gunslinging cowboy, the actor who just read his lines -- that stereotype doesn't fit who my father really was.

"My father had decades of experience in public life. He was president of his union, he campaigned for presidential candidates, he served two terms as governor of California -- and that was not a ceremonial office as it is in Texas. And he had already run for president, against Ford in '76, nearly unseating the sitting president in his own party. He knew where he was coming from, he had spent years thinking and speaking about his views. He didn't have to ask Dick Cheney what he thought.

"Sure, he wasn't a technocrat like Clinton. But my father was a man -- that's the difference between him and Bush. To paraphrase Jack Palance, my father crapped bigger ones than George Bush."

Reagan says he doesn't have anything personal against Bush. He met him only once, at a White House event during the Reagan presidency. "At least my wife insists we did -- he left absolutely no impression on me. But Doria remembers him very negatively -- I can't repeat what she said about him, I'd rather not use profanity. I do remember Jeb -- a big fella, seemed to be the brightest of the bunch. And of course their parents were very charming."

But Reagan has strong feelings about Bush's policies, including the war in Iraq, which he ardently opposes. "Nine-11 gave the Bush people carte blanche to carry out their extreme agenda -- and they didn't hesitate for a moment to use it. I mean, by 9/12 Rumsfeld was saying, 'Let's hit Iraq.' They've used the war on terror to justify everything from tax cuts to Alaska oil drilling."

Of course, Reagan's father was also known for his military buildup and aggressive foreign policy. "Yes," he concedes, "there are some holdovers from my dad's years, like Elliott Abrams and, my God, Admiral Poindexter, who's now keeping watch over us all. But that observation doesn't hold up. My father gave a speech a couple years after he left the White House calling for 'an international army of conscience' to deal with failed states where atrocities are taking place. He had no thought that America should be the world's policeman. I know that for a fact from conversations I had with him. He believed there must be an international force to intervene where great human tragedy was occurring. Rwanda would have been a prime example, where a strike force capable of acting quickly could have gone in to stop the slaughter.

"Now George and Dick and Rummy and Wolfy all have a very different idea about America's role in the world. It was laid out by [Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul] Wolfowitz back in '92 -- Iraq is the center of the Middle East, its axis, and it's of such geo-strategic importance that we can't leave it in the hands of Saddam. We need to forcibly change that regime and use Iraq as a forward base for American democracy, setting up a domino effect in the region, and so on. My father, on the other hand, was well aware of the messiness of the Middle East, particularly after [the 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks in] Lebanon."

Reagan says his opinions about the war were not changed by the rapid fall of Baghdad. "Look, whether or not Saddam was a bad guy, or whether the Iraqi people were terribly oppressed, was never the issue. I mean I'm happy for the Iraqis, but that's not what this was all about. Nor was the military conclusion ever in doubt; this was the Dallas Cowboys playing a high school team. Their army was a third the size it was in '91, and it didn't give us much trouble then.

"And the weapons of mass destruction? Whatever happened to them? I'm sure we'll find some," he laughs. "They're being flown in right now in a C-130.

"There were, and will be, a lot of people killed over there. And if you don't care about the Iraqi casualties, what about the American? We stand to lose more people in the next months of occupation than we lost in the weeks of war. One of the reasons we escaped largely unscathed so far was because our military moved so fast. But now we're sitting targets -- we have to establish bases, patrol the streets, guard checkpoints. We're sitting targets for suicide bombers and other terrorists."

Reagan's parents were notoriously remote from their four children. Ron Jr. reportedly had the closest relations with his parents and he remains close with his mother, Nancy Reagan, who as the keeper of the Reagan flame is often called upon to dedicate public sites bearing her husband's name. Reagan says his mother shares his "distrust of some of these [Bush] people. She gets that they're trouble in all kinds of ways. She doesn't like their religious fervor, their aggression."

Reagan says his family feels particularly alienated from the Republican Party over its opposition to embryonic stem cell research, which could have significant benefit for Alzheimer patients like his father. "Now ignorance is one thing, ignorance can be cured. But many of the Republican leaders opposing this research know better, people like [Senate Majority Leader] Bill Frist, who's a doctor, for God's sake. People like him are blocking it to pander to the 20 percent of their base who are mouth-breathers. And that's unconscionable -- there are lives at stake here. Stem cell research can revolutionize medicine, more than anything since antibiotics."

Reagan, who says the label "progressive" would fit him, does not belong to a political party. "I'm certainly not a Republican; I couldn't belong to any party that had leaders like Tom DeLay. And the Democrats are too busy trying to out-Republican the Republicans."

His father entered politics at a relatively late stage in his life, after careers as a sports broadcaster, actor and General Electric pitchman. Has Reagan ever considered running for office? No, he insists, "I have no political ambitions. For one thing, I'm not interested in raising all that money. It's just not the life I want to lead. When is the last time you heard a politician speak his mind? McCain? Yes, he came close. But I once asked him at a Creative Coalition meeting, 'You talk passionately about this nexus of money and influence that is corrupting our democracy. Why don't you name names?' His response was a demurral.

"I have no problem with public service. And yes, better people should be running for office. But personally I just can't see myself doing it, to live in Washington D.C., the whole package. I was immersed in that my whole life. I saw politicians up close and there were so many who just repulsed me."

What if a group of concerned citizens approached him and helped raise money for his entry into politics -- would that make a difference? "You mean like they did with George W.? 'Hey, you've got name recognition, that's all that matters -- we'll give you millions of dollars to run!' Imagine coming to a man with just two years' experience in public office, and a ceremonial one at that. Imagine installing such a blank slate in the presidency of the United States! This is a regency, not a presidency.

"And they told us, 'Don't worry about W. not knowing anything, good old Dick Cheney will be his minder.' Dick Cheney? And this was going to be compassionate conservatism? Dick Cheney is to the right of Genghis Khan, he wants to drill in your backyard, he wants to deny black people their rights --it was all there in his voting record for us to see. What were we, rubes?"

While Reagan rejects a political career, he clearly doesn't shy from speaking out. What if GOP conservatives, who still lionize his father as the greatest president of the 20th century, pressure him to shut up? "That wouldn't be a smart thing for anyone to do."”

“

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — Ronald Reagan, the greatest president in the history of the Republic, was taken bodily into Heaven on Saturday at the age of 93.

Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois, in 1911. The first 30 years of his life, like the first 30 years of Jesus, are largely shrouded in mystery. After a brief career as a radio announcer, Reagan became a successful movie actor beginning in 1937, making nothing but wholesome films that could be enjoyed by the entire family. Some believe that he was a New Deal Democrat during these years, but this is a vile slander by the Hillary/Kerry wing of the liberal media elite.

Reagan enlisted in the Army during World War II. On D-Day, he led the American column ashore at Omaha Beach, carrying one machine gun in each arm and a dagger in his mouth, even though his poor eyesight made him technically ineligible for combat. Returning home after winning the war, Reagan returned to his film career and later worked in television as executive producer and head writer of the popular 50s series Leave It to Beaver. The Beaver years were a time he would never totally leave behind.

Reagan served six terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild during the late 40s and 50s. What looks on the surface like an unfortunate flirtation with unions was in fact a brilliant triumph, as Reagan helped uncover dozens of Communists in Hollywood. The brilliance of Reagan's undercover work - not to mention his scandalously overlooked talent as an actor - is typified by the fact that he campaigned for Harry Truman in 1948 and no one ever suspected his true role. The Communists uncovered by Reagan were executed in 1955.

Reagan's real political colors were first displayed in 1964, when he lent his name and fame to Barry Goldwater's near-upset of Lyndon Johnson in the presidential race. In 1966, Reagan was elected governor of California with 99.5 percent of the vote. He gained the Republican presidential nomination in 1980. Every American who was alive then recalls where he was on the night God himself pre-empted The Love Boat to announce that the November election would be canceled. Reagan was inaugurated the next afternoon.

Reagan's presidency was nearly short-circuited in 1981 when a gunman attempted to assassinate him outside a Washington hotel. When the shots rang out, Reagan deftly ditched his Secret Service agents and chased the assailant into an alley, where he used kung fu to disarm him and turn him over to D.C. police. Due to the meddling of activist judges, however, Reagan's true assailant was allowed to go free and another man, John Hinckley, was incarcerated in his place. (Fox News recently revealed that Reagan's real assailant was Bill Clinton.)

The assassination attempt marked a major milestone in Reagan's presidency. From that day forward, Reagan's wisdom became self-evident to all but a few hardline, bitter-end liberals. Reagan replaced Jimmy Carter's "shameful" deficits with larger, more impressive deficits worthy of the adjective "American." Lower taxes for the wealthiest Americans lead to greater prosperity for all Americans. When prayer was restored to the public schools in 1984, the Soviet Union dissolved, the nations of Eastern Europe were liberated from Communism, the Cold War came to an end, and Reagan's beloved Chicago Cubs won their first pennant in 39 years. (Reagan pitched seven shutout innings in the pennant-clinching win over Pittsburgh.) Later that year, Reagan became the first president since James Monroe to run unopposed for re-election.

Reagan's second term moved from triumph to triumph, as the self-evident superiority of conservative principles was made clear again and again. The general economic surge permitted all 50 states to abolish their welfare programs because people were eager to lift themselves by their own bootstraps and besides, it was morning in America. Vast improvements were seen in the quality of public school education once we stopped throwing money at the schools. Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" campaign helped cut the rate of drug abuse among young people by 97 percent.

Reagan's ongoing thirst for justice was typified by his reaction in 1987 when a White House aide, Oliver North, suggested selling arms to parties in the Middle East and using the proceeds to fund the Nicaraguan contras. "Out of my office, damn you!" Reagan thundered to North. "Do not sully the purity of this nation with your sordid scheming!"

As the 1988 election approached, mass street demonstrations broke out, unlike any seen since the 1960s, as Americans everywhere demanded that Reagan serve a third term. But Reagan was ready to conclude his career, and as millions wept, he departed the White House for retirement in California.

During his retirement years, Reagan became the most respected elder statesman the country has ever known. In 1991, he reconciled the Israelis and Palestinians. In 1992, he settled the Branch Davidian siege at Waco short of violence, and in 1994, helped avert postponement of the World Series by mediating between baseball owners and players. In his spare time, he built houses in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity.

Media reports during the last 10 years of his life indicated that he was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. This, too, is liberal hate speech. Reagan's disappearance from public life was due to his ongoing espionage work for the government, a passion Reagan retained from his days as the Communist-hunting president of SAG. In 2000, Fox News revealed that it was not Linda Tripp but Reagan who first uncovered the relationship between Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky.

Reagan was working on a new translation of the Bible from the original Greek and Hebrew when God called him home on Saturday. God was unavailable for comment, but his son, Jesus, told the Washington Post, "We're thrilled to have Mr. Reagan up here with us. I've been waiting for somebody to take my seat next to Dad for quite a while now."

- democraticunderground.com”

“Bonzo?”

“Anyone else sick of the incessant coverage of Reagan's passing?”

“No Phaedrus. I love not getting any local news. Even our "24 hour" news station failed to provide news. Love it!

BTW - Showing Reagan will cost DC 2 million dollars. DC will go to Congress and probably recover the money. Where will they get this money?”

“According to the Onion, the funeral will be a $5,000/plate affair.”

“I am loving the non-stop media blitz. It is like free campaign ads for the Republican Party.

... If only he had hung on until October.”

“Glad to see you think his death is okay for making political hay.”

“I think they freeze-dried him.”

“I went to the procession and walk through. They interviewed me on ABC news. I told them I respect the man even though I don't agree with his politics. NPR today bashed him (rightfully so) for his environmental policy as a president. As California Governor he did a lot for the environment and then slacked as president.”

“I didnt agree with most of what he did, but I respect him and think he had a lot more class then our current President.

Did anyone see Mikhail Gorbachev along side the casket...that was a touch of class as well....kinda surprised me.”

“well said Mtn Steve”

“The Repubs are just ballyhooing a pres. on their side who was popular in light of the current one who is a complete failure.”

“Glad to see you think his death is okay for making political hay."
Phaedrus
01:22:19 PM
06/10/04

I see the Democrats have no proplem politicizing his death.”

“RIP President Reagan.
A Great President and A Great man!
God bless his soul.”

“And we all remember when Ronnie said "If you're going to ship internationally... Ship FedEx."”

“bush the elder, in the eulogy said....i learned more form him than anyone i've ever met...i learned kindness and courage...

it's drives the liberals in the media crazy to have to cover this story and display the emense love and admirations and respect the country and the world have for regan. ......they have already started to rip into him of corse....like the NPR story...






oh , AND the liberals on here....”

“Stratdud, perhaps you should go back to "copy and paste" at least then the spelling will be correct.

Or . . . perhaps try typing while sober. ;-)”

“Nice comeback, Geezr.

By the way, I think you need either a period or a comma after "copy and paste."

;-)”

“I wonder if Hitlery will shed a tear at Slick Willy's state funeral.

It'll probably turn into a Paul Wellstone funeral/political rally.”