On the one hand, one of the great musicians of the 20th century, and the creator of soul music was gone On the other, we could now claim the really epochal passing of last week was not some old white guy who we despised while he was in office.
I actually felt sad at the passing of Ronald Reagan. The eulogies of the once and present powerful were correct in saying that the man had no rancor, and always had respect for political opponents as well as allies. The eulogies of Margaret Thatcher and Brian Mulroney, in particular, were very moving. George H. W. Bush observed along with everyone else that Ronald Reagan never spoke ill of his enemies. Then his son, scorning the rostrum that all the other speakers had used, and mounting the pulpit in the National Cathedral, gave a barn-burner of a stump speech.
George Bush's speech sought to identify his policies with those of Ronald Reagan. His tone was partisan, thinly cloaked in the kind of holier-than-thou preaching you often hear from the religious right. I'm sure his words rang true to his political base, but to me they grated more than usual. John Kerry took two weeks off from campaigning, either from the practical realization that his message was sure to be ignored in the torrent of interest in Ronald Reagan, from genuine respect for the dead or both. But our President kept up the campaign, culminating in this shameful political pitch at the funeral service of a man incomparably greater than he.
John Patrick Diggins wrote an interesting op-ed piece (free reg. req.) in yesterday's New York Times about the comparison between Ronald Reagan's foreign policy and that of the current administration. Many of the people shaping current policy opposed Reagan's approach to the Soviet Union which they now extol in glowing terms, and seek to identify with. The conclusion:
"Mr. Reagan gave us an enlightened foreign policy that achieved most of its diplomatic objectives peacefully and succeeded in firmly uniting our allies. Today those who claim to be Mr. Reagan's heirs give us "shock and awe" and a "muscular" foreign policy that has lost its way and undermined valued friendships throughout the world.".Posted by hbo at June 12, 2004 09:58 AM
The fact is, George W has no class. He and his cronies have sought to politicise this whole thing, which disgusts me.
Ronald Reagan was, in many ways, a rotten president, as far as his domestic policies were concerned. I did not benefit during the Reagan years, and neither did many that I know. But he was a honestly genteel man with a good sense of humor.
George W Bush is worse in domestic policy, and almost 180 degress out in foreign policy. If I were his father, I would be ashamed of him.
Kerry, OTOH, took the high road, and was civilized, and I will remember that in November.
Posted by: ljl at June 12, 2004 10:25 AM