Posted on 06/11/2004 8:44:32 AM PDT by dirtboy
LOG ONTO www.georgewbush.com, the president's campaign Web site, and find - on the front page - a big picture of Ronald Reagan, and links to his speeches on the front page.
It's rather pathetic, the attempt to use the death of the former president to change the subject from Iraq, torture, and investigations into faulty intelligence. It's also opportunistic, given that reminding people of the important issues still confronting the nation looks like dishonoring the dead.
John Kerry understands that: He canceled five days of campaign appearances during the mourning period. Republicans, on the other hand, have used the time to pump up their candidate.
We honor Ronald Reagan today because he was president of our country. We have no problem whatsoever with the pageantry of the state funeral and the closing of most federal offices in a National Day of Mourning today. All presidents are entitled to this honor.
We do have a problem with the obvious attempt to conflate this with honoring the conservative ideology that Reagan championed.
More landmarks probably should be named for Reagan. But something called the Reagan Legacy Project has set as its goal memorials in all 50 states and 3,607 counties. Its biggest push is for Reagan to supplant Alexander Hamilton on the ten-dollar bill. The sponsor of this project is Americans for Tax Reform, Grover Norquist's uber-conservative interest group. So the memorials stand not only Reagan, but for Norquist's politics.
Thankfully, Pennsylvania is not one of the 15 states that also have shut their offices today, following our own historical precedent, but also saving tens of millions of dollars. Gov. Rendell has called for a moment of silence and reflection at 11:30 a.m. This is an appropriate gesture.
The outpouring of tribute from thousands of ordinary Americans who lined up to see Reagan's flag-draped coffin is real. It comes from people who supported Reagan's philosophy and those who liked him regardless, and simply those who want to be a part of American history.
We honor that as well. Reagan's funeral would be a fitting time to bring Americans together to share the grandeur of our nation's rituals. But the undercurrent of political one-upmanship is making that hard to do.
'"I see a huge split and a bitter fight coming in the not so distant future"'
So do I. A house divided can not stand and we've been too divided for too long. I do not want to live in the America that I see developing rapidly so, just bring it on!
It's not out of a sense of nobility, lefty, it's strategic. Kerry knows any money spent during the course of the week of Reagan's funeral is money down the drain. He's simply conserving his cash. Only a moron would pretend otherwise.
I think it goes beyond that - right into the realm of mental disorder. Remember Hillary! and her comments about the 80s; decade of greed and all that? A little research readilly turned up that she had personally been involved in practically every activity (using insider info and trading, tax dodging, etc) that she had condemned.
Even this article is an example - attacking Bush for something that he hasn't done while ignoring Kerry trying to rewrite history and make himself someone who often consulted with Reagan. Not to mention the Kerry photo op.
They are basically accusing Republicans of doing exactly what liberals actually did at the Paul Wellstone funeral.
Hypocracy - sure. Lying bastards - you bet. But I think it goes beyond that - I think that we are dealing with people who are heavilly into "projection" as a means of protecting their own egos. I think that these folks are seriously mentally ill...
And they are in positions of power. And that's scary...
Good ol' Ronny. Even after death he continues to pi$$ off liberals.
It's rather pathetic, this editorial. Most college freshmen can write more maturely.
Reagan is sorely missed. We need his leadership at this time!
Great point. I went back and searched their archives, and they uttered nary a whit about that unseemly show. Thanks, I'm writing a letter in response, and I'll be sure to mention that - it frames their weaselly hypocrisy quite nicely.
"Anyone who can't see the unpatriotic and mean-spirited crap the libs are spewing, is too dumb to vote anyway."
Problem is these sheeple are not to dumb to show up to vote. "Houston, we have a problem!"
I see "trouble comin' every day". We need to be vigilant!
Now that makes me smile. Get 'em Gipper!
You may be right. Certainly the two sides hold each other in deep mutual contempt. We live in separate moral universes and scarcely speak the same political language. If a way could be found to do it, I suspect a surprisingly high percentage of conservatives would be relieved by a separation. So would many leftists, except that they could not live without a tax base.
Unbelievable. Just the title alone is disgusting. Typical low-end low-life scumbag comments from the far left. Glad conservatives are making it clear what these folks are really made of.
".. and went to California to cut line and grand stand and get his photo op."
Did you really think he should have stood in line for 4 or 5 hours??? All the VIP's got to "cut in line". And he hardly did anything that could be called grand-standing!
Sheesh, people, get real...
Bush must come out with guns-a-blazing come Saturday, June 12th at 12:00AM.
Looks like a really lame attempt to sow dissent among us and create infighting.
Didn't work. Better luck next time.
Yet another campaign idea. Show the contrast between the two services. Democrats are a danger to the free world!
So how is it that some pinhead in Philly who won't even sign his name to the editorial becomes the arbiter of what "the subject" is for an entire nation?
Very scarey people.
Wait...I think I hear....no those are just freakin crickets.
Please moveon.org folks, nothing to see here.
Presidents always speak at the funeral of former presidents.
When Bush does this, he is politicizing the death.
Presidents always honor Americans who have been killed by our enemies.
If Bush mentions 9-11, he is politicizing that event.
Sigh.
Maybe he should just stick with discussing the economy -- and the 1 million jobs that have been created in the past 3 months!!!!
Think this is bad? Wait til Monday, when the liberals will be out in full force, attempting to explain away how millions of Americans were wrong in feeling as we do about Ronald Reagan.
The positive for President Bush isn't whats been said this week, nor whats on his website.
The positive for President Bush will be the vicious backlash in about ten days over the Democrats coming smear campaign against Reagan.
Watch and see. The Democrats tin ear is about to cause them a great deal of pain once again.
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