I was thinking the same thing. If Clinton or Carter had died during the Bush presidency there is no way we would have had a week long pageant celebrating their lives. Not that Carter deserved one; he was basically a decent man who was in over his head in a turbulent era. Clinton will probably be most remembered for a stain left on someone’s dress. I’m not sure that Reagan would have gotten this treatment last year when Bush’s reelection seemed assured. Now it’s been a week-long excuse to move the media focus away from Iraq.
I was 20 years old when Reagan came to office. He presided over the United States a remarkable era in world history, but you have to wonder how much the era was a product of his administration, and how much he was a product of the era. He certainly had his share of controversy as well, but it rolled off of his back like water off of a duck’s. Nobody’s talking much about Iran-contra right now, except as a afterthought. And they called Clinton “Slick Willie.”
I will admit this without embarassment: I voted for Reagan twice, without reservation. Neither Carter or Mondale deserved the office. It was a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils. No regrets.
