Lady Thatcher salutes her "dearest friend"
Posted on 06/10/2004 2:41:41 AM PDT by MadIvan
Baroness Thatcher has paid her last respects to her "dearest friend", the former American president Ronald Reagan, whose body is lying in state in Washington.
Lady Thatcher salutes her "dearest friend" |
Earlier Mr Reagan's wife, Nancy, ran her hand along the coffin's length, a look of anguish on her face.
The body of the 40th President was taken to Washington after lying in repose at his official library in California in preparation for the funeral tomorrow.
The ceremony will be attended by the Prince of Wales and Prime Minister Tony Blair. Baroness Thatcher will join President George W Bush in eulogising Mr Reagan.
Afterwards, there will be a private burial back at the Reagan library.
Before the lying in state began, the coffin was conveyed through the streets by a horse-drawn caisson. A riderless horse joined the procession to symbolise a fallen leader and a pair of Mr Reagan's boots were turned backward in the stirrups to signify the loss of a rider.
Twenty-one military jets performed a fly-by, with one soaring high above the group to mark the former president's passing.
Mr Reagan died surrounded by his wife, his daughter Patti Davis and son Ron Reagan on Saturday, aged 93, after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease.
BTTT
I saw this live on CSPAN and burst into tears!A terribly moving moment. Regards,
Pray for Ronald Reagan & Baroness Margaret Thatcher
It's always morning in America.
Don't be such a pessimist -- Reagan wouldn't have liked it. The outpouring of love and affection for Reagan shows that it is not dead.
That's not easy to do.
"Here lies a manwho allowed hundreds of Americans to be held hostage for a year while he did NOTHING?.
Here lies a man who said we all suffered from a 'terrible malaise'?
Here lies a man who 'lusted' in his heart?
Here lies a man who felt that the duty of the President of the US included scheduling playing time on the WH tennis court?
Here leis a man who allowed his buffon of a brother to make the WH a laughing stock around the world?"
I'd wager that Ford will forego a state funeral in DC..I thnk he'd want to avoid the inevitable comparisons to Reagan's..
I agree. Neither Ford nor Carter will do it, though Clinton, as a two-termer, probably will. Hopefully, whenever that happens, we'll all show the same class we're hoping the Dems will show now.
It's hard to think of a woman with more class than Lady Thatcher. She's one of a kind.
I just got to see former PM Thatcher up close and personal earlier today for a few short moments. She was visiting the president of my organization, and they got a picture taken with our interns. She started speaking to them, and everyone had to get up close to hear her. Towards the end, she spoke a little more clearly about her partnership with Ronald Reagan during the end of the Cold War. I'm glad I got to see her in person before she follows her partners - her actual spouse and her political soulmate.
LOL... you know, I can picture that.
Conservatives need a leader. I don't see any conservative politician on the scene now who has a ghost of a chance. Most conservatives have turned to George Bush - who will get my vote, but he is not a conservative, as such.
Welcome back, Ivan.
ping
I have been fairly strong through all the ceremonies, but when I saw Lady Thatcher do a curtsy to the late President I lost it. It is obvious how close they were as friends, and how she wanted to honor him.
That picture will stay with me for a very long time.
Really--a splendid tribute to RWR could consist simply of reading the names of the peoples made free by him, Thatcher, JPII, (and Bill Casey...)
Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, East Germany, Poland, Russia, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Nicaragua, Uzbekhistan, .....
It's quite a long list--this is only the beginning.
To me, this was the image I'll most remember of yesterday. I completely broke down when I saw Lady Thatcher curtsey to Reagan's casket. It was similar to the way I reacted to Queen Elizabeth's decision to play the National Anthem during the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace after 9/11.
I've always been a Anglophile, although I've yet to visit your tremendous country in person. Seeing the strong bond that exists between the UK and America gives me so much pride. The images of Thatcher & Reagan during their "glory days" and now the image of Thatcher's last farewell to her political soulmate and dear friend is almost more than I can bear.
I feel so OLD now, even though I'm only 40!! But yesterday's service just brought it home to me that the 80's era is truely over.
I was watching via the 'net witha very poor image quality and no commentary, but that's how I knew it was her. That and the hat. :) A very nice gesture but one not likely to be offered by an American womam. As Patton once said, we are a people separated by a common language. We don't have all the same customs.
The article failed to mention that on Friday, Baroness Thatcher is scheduled to accompany Mrs Reagan on the plane back to California for the burial. God Bless this incredible woman, she plans to stand with her dear friend until the end.
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