I'm not going to talk too much about Ronald Reagan's passing right now. I have some concept of respect for the dead, even if the hagiographic tone of the retrospectives I've seen so far strikes me as pretty hysterical. For now, I'll point out that it isn't disrespectful to note the passing of a President, and wish your sympathies to the family, while at the same time noting that you despised almost everything he stood for. Which is pretty much how I feel about Ronald Reagan.
I also found it irritating (though not entirely unexpected) that coverage of the 60th anniversary of D-Day was more or less preempted by the constant accolades.
For now, I'm going to wait and see if Rove and company take any PR opportunities at the Gipper's funeral. And I'm curious if any unfavorable comparisons will be drawn between President Bush's eulogy and the speaking style of the "Great Communicator."
No, "derogatory" would've been, "I'm going to wait and see if Rove and his blue-ribbon panel of dirty tricks artists attempt to use Reagan's funeral as an opportunity to reverse the Bush presidency's tailspin and maybe throw in a few references to 9-11 and 'war footing.'"
But I didn't say that.
I have mixed feelings about Reagan the President. On the one hand his deficit spending and cold war arm's race not only saddled the nation with butt-loads of debt, but was also largely responsible for the near irreversible proliferation of nuclear arms. On the other hand, his policies broke the back of communist Russia, which we can all agree was a good thing.
My feelings towards Reagan the man - a victim of a savage, degenerative mental illness - are much softer. He withered away for ten years with an uncommon amount of strength and grace. When it comes time to meet my maker, I'll consider myself lucky if I'm able to demonstrate half that fortitude.
However, anyone who attempts to harvest political gain from The Gipper's death deserves a swift kick in the nuts.
In terms of your last paragraph, you don't have to wait until the eulogy; just take a look at the Bush-Cheney 2004 re-election front page:
Norb, I think the Bush campaign's page in memoriam to Reagan looks like a legit hommage. If there is an ulterior motive behind it, its extraordinarily subtle.
The Wellstone memorial service was unfortunate. As I was living in that area when it happened, I may have a little bit more perspective on the events surrounding the service than those who were not. Yes the booing of the Republicans was tasteless and quite disturbing. I don't agree with what happened, but I can understand how the shock and pain over the loss of Paul Wellstone and most of his family could inspire passionate speeches.
Wellstone was a wonderful Senator and stood up for the little people who generally don't have a voice in government. He also inspired an almost cult-like following from his constituents. He was not a politician's politician; he had morals and conviction and was in touch with his constituency. As corny as it sounds, he actually made me want to be a part of the political process. Rick Kahn (and his inspired and over the top and not really appropriate speech) is often blamed for the Republican sweep after the Wellstone death. I really felt sorry for the guy. The death of Paul Wellstone and his wife, daughter, and staffers was like a sickening gut punch to myself and most people (Republican and Democrat alike). Rick was a close friend and associate of Wellstone and he spoke from the heart with a lot of passion inspired from the deep well of pain everyone was feeling. Of course this was immediately spun by the Republican machine into something hideous, which overshadowed the loss of one of our country's greatest Senators.
I hardly think that a comparison to Reagan's funeral and what might happen by the Democrats is hardly valid. After all, Reagan's death is really not that much of a shock. Plus, he has not been in the public spotlight for many, many years. Lastly, no Democrat would be foolish enough to say something that could be used by the Republican spin machine to reverse the tide of increasing Republican apathy over the Bush candidacy.
Kos was openly wondering about that as well, pretty much in the same derogatory tone as you've used.
If anything, it's a projection of the shame caused to the Democrats by Terry McA and the circus-like atmosphere at Wellstone's funeral as well as the booing and driving out of Bush's representatives to the occasion.
At Reagan's funeral, you will not see anyone booed or hauled out of the cathedral or the library. Unless, of course, they come there in malice, which is always possible when it comes to berserks like Dean or Gore.