6/5     Reagan's last words: "Vote for Dubya Bush"
        \_ I think we should embalm Reagan for public viewing forever.
        \_ The Mississippi River is now the Mississippi Reagan.
           \_ The "Star Wars" anti-missile laser system will be named the
              anti-missile Raygun system.
                \_ The Ronald Reagan Memorial Space Based Weapons Platform
                   (Bonus g33k points for knowing what show that was
                    featured on)
        \_ Can you at least wait until his body is in the ground before mocking
           his death?
           \_ No!  Mocking continues for the next 100 years!
           \_ I believe OP is mocking the Karl Rove and Falwell types who want
              to make GWB seem a mystical religious figure.
              \_ Was this a B5 reference?
        \_ "If you've seen one redwood, you've seen them all."
        \_ To nursing staff: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
        \_ you know, if Reagan were the president who vouched for pre-emptive
           attack on Iraq, Syria, and N Korea, you'd be fine with that.
           Presidency is all about media relationships and charisma, and as
           long as he looks good in front of the camera (Kennedy, Reagan),
           you'd believe any bullshit he has to give.
        \_ The respect that all sides are treating Reagan with is very
           interesting, and very American I think.  Its probably one of
           our traits I'm most proud of.  An English friend was contrasting
           us with his culture, where if (for instance) Margeret Thatcher
           died there would probably be a good chunk of the population
           openly celebrating.  Anyway, I'm no fan of Reagan or his policies,
           particularly his (non) response to the AIDS epidemic, but he DID
           go against a lot of nutty Republican hawks like Cheney and bargained
           with Gorby.  For that he gets a lot of credit from me.
           \_ I know too many people who lived through the results of his
              policies in Latin America to have anything but bile for this
              man.  On top of that, I remember my family struggling through
              the results of his domestic economic policies.
           \_ Gorby on Reagan:
              http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/07/opinion/07GORB.html
              Having the leader of the opposing superpower write a elegy like
              this is not bad either.
              \_ All he ever wanted was the chance to be in a commercial for
                 Pizza Hut.
           \_ I think the coverage is a bit TOO reverant.  I was reading the
              Tri-Valley Herald, and amidst paragraphs lauding all the "good"
              things Reagan did was a one-line mention along the lines of
              "He was involved in the Iran-Contra scandal, which was a scheme
              to funnel aid to Central-American anti-communist forces."
              Absolutely no mention of the atrocities perpetuated by the
              "friends" we helped, including Saddam Hussein.
              \_ You don't see too many people writing shit like that because
                 the man is dead.  You aren't supposed to smear someone in
                 their obituary.  Show some class even if you can't show any
                 respect.
                 \_ Actually that does hinge on respect. You won't see fawning
                    obituaries for Saddam.
              \_ One thing to watch out for is the "most popular president ever"
                 meme which I've seen a lot of in the last couple of days.
                 Apparently it was actually Clinton:
                 link:csua.org/u/7mh (pollkatz chart)
                 \_ The whole fatherly, reassuring presence of Reagan I think
                    is the main reason people like him. 80's children have
                    nostalgia for him. I think people liked Clinton a lot but
                    the constant noise about the sexual scandal stuff and
                    whitewater and whatever else republicans could carp about
                    eroded the "dignity of the office" and all that. But it was
                    the republicans' own dogged scandal-hunting that kept this
                    stuff in the limelight. In any case I think it's what got
                    Dubya into office.
              \_ Reagan won reelection by sweeping 49 states.  It's not a
                 surprise that many people respect him.
                 \_ By all means, respect him.  But it should also be mentioned
                    that he did some Very Bad Things.
                    \_ You had 93 years to mention the Very Bad Things he did.
                       You can give a dead guy a break for a few days until
                       after he's in the ground.
                       \_ I won't tell you that Reagan was a bad or evil
                          man, and I will absolutely agree that he did (for
                          the most part) what he thought was best for the
                          country, but we need to remember his foibles and
                          misdeeds now before the cult of Reagan becomes
                          irrevocably entrenched.  He was a man, no more, no
                          less. [edited by op to be less obnoxious, sorry]
           \_ Yeah!  I hate Margret Thatcher for saving the British
              economy!
              \_ You blithering idiot.  I didn't say anything about Thatcher,
                 and neither did my friend.  For all you know, he *loves*
                 Thatcher.  However, he's not an American, so he's able to
                 consider the idea that others may have a *different* opinion
                 than him.  Sheesh.
                 \_ Ha!  Thanks, you gave a good laugh by assuming that
                    was responding to you or your friend directly.  You're
                    silly.
        \_ Reagan's repeal of 70% tax cut for the rich-- totally Republican.
           While I disagree with a lot of his policies, I'm ok with that
           because he's such a handsome charismatic guy. Now Bush... has
           no charisma whatsoever.
           \_ Agreed wrt Bush's charisma.
           \_ Please don't overwrite posts.  Use motdedit.
           \_ Bush has charisma.  A *lot* of charisma.  What he doesn't have
              is Reagan's speaking ability to the camera or large crowds.
              Everyone who has met him personally writes/says later how
              incredibly charming he is.  I haven't met him so I can't say
              anything about that but yes his public speaking skills are
              very weak.
                \_ sorry, either you're so uncharismatic that you actually
                   think he's charismatic, or you're just plain dumb.
              \_ Bush is charming to the citizens he meets, but charisma,
                 he lacks.
        \_ I don't get the not smearing people when they are just
           dead part.  If it is out of consideration for the family,
           I can understand.  But in principle why is it ok to
           smear people when they are alive, and not when they are
           dead.  Isn't it more important that what you said is the
           truth, or at least what you truly believe in?  I prefer
           the Zorba the Greek approach: treating living people
           as more important that dead people.
           \_  I have no problem with critizing Regan, or any other dead
               person, in context.  However, using news their death to
               tangent into cheap insults is pretty low.
               \_ Obviously a dogpile of critisism is not polite, but when it's
                  a polarizing political figure who dies, fawning praise
                  without any mention of his faults seems like little more than
                  propaganda.
                  \_ I agree.  I haven't bothered to read the articles,
                     they aren't worth my time.  (But I'm reading the
                     motd?  Nevermind.)  But really, is acting ghoulish on
                     the motd really the correct response?