Click
here for info on the Print Journal
(and to purchase your copy)!
Just 141 Days Left: Thank You, Ronald Reagan
By Mark Grueter
---------------------------------------
I was able to get a lot of reading done last week because television, outside the final episode of The Sopranos, was a washout. For this, I have Ronald Reagan to thank; the modest, simple, country boy who, before he went brain dead, decided he deserved what’s called a State Funeral. On the cable news shows particularly, the coverage of this charade was altogether unwatchable. Every time I tuned in Mr. Reagan’s corpse was being dragged around the country, surrounded by dumb, servile, flag-waving Americans, while eager commentators in the background blathered on about how nice and majestic it all was. As late as Friday night, Nancy could still be seen drooping over Ronnie’s coffin like a wet sock. So I turned to literature instead, finishing off Scoop by Evelyn Waugh while making an impressive run on 1876 by Gore Vidal.
I have never seen anything quite like this Reagan nonsense, especially the fawning, rambling, intolerant and incoherent eulogies to the man. Many in certain press outlets have already written critically of the Reagan idolatry that is still taking place, but none of the Reagan critics have been invited to appear on television. It’s been all praise, all the time – a spectacle that would make any totalitarian regime proud.
Meanwhile, Reagan’s record is mostly ignored…Fred Kaplan of Slate brought to light recently declassified documents which highlight Reagan’s role in transforming Osama bin Laden from an obscure jihadist to a revered Islamic fighter and leader. In 1986, Gorbachev assured Reagan the Russians would leave Afghanistan if the United States would simply stop arming the jihad resistance. The Russian leader was sure the Americans would go for it, but Reagan rejected the deal. So the Russians instead escalated the conflict and the notorious battle of Jaji ensued. The Afghan resistance to the Russians in Jaji, which consisted of the efforts of a mere 50 volunteers, was led by bin Laden. They fought the Russians off and bin Laden’s defiance against all odds in this conflict is what launched his public reputation as a great warrior. Kaplan writes, “If Reagan had embraced Gorbachev on the withdrawal…Osama Bin Laden today might not even be a footnote in history.”
The list of Reagan’s snafus does not end or begin there, of course. I cannot compete with Greg Palast’s hilarious screed on the subject, and I think this piece by David Corn sums up Reagan’s offenses rather perfectly. If the people who are lobbying to put Reagan’s mug on Mount Rushmore or even on currency knew how to read, I would recommend those pieces to them.
* * *
Veepstakes
John McCain has once again said that he will not be John Kerry’s running mate, making the point more plangent this time around: “McCain Says No to Kerry” was a headline in the Washington Post on Friday. But that hasn’t stopped many Democrats and media types from continuing to promote the idea. Like rapists, they don’t take no for an answer. Another Republican senator/Bush critic, Chuck Hagel, is being considered by the Kerry team as a possible running mate for John, even though Hagel too has categorically said that he would not run as Kerry’s running mate.
A new poll out on Saturday shows that most Democratic voters overwhelmingly favor John Edwards as Kerry’s running mate. The poll also shows Kerry-Edwards beating Bush-Cheney 47 to 45 with Bush-Cheney defeating Kerry-Gephardt 46 to 44. What more evidence does Kerry need to select Edwards? The best campaigner on Kerry’s shortlist, Edwards is already ahead of his competitors when they line up against Bush-Cheney, and he hasn’t even started to campaign yet.
With Ralph Nader running a surprisingly strong campaign thus far, it is essential that Kerry choose wisely. Kerry’s support is mostly skin-deep and I sense many liberals shifting over to Nader if Kerry doesn’t pick Edwards (I think Bill Richardson would be a good choice also). Picking the wooden, awkward Gephardt, despite his credentials with Labor, would be an absolute disaster for the Democrats. Also, I like Kerry, but he needs to turn it up a notch himself and reveal more about himself to voters.
Look for Nader to select a high-profile name to run as his Vice-Presidential candidate – perhaps Arianna Huffington. Nader could take five percent of the vote and Kerry is just going to have to live with this. Ralph, despite his lame protests, will obviously draw more support from the Democratic ticket than the Republican one, but that’s fine because Kerry should be able to beat Bush anyway. There is enough opposition to the President to go around. And 50-percent of American adults don’t even vote, so Democrats should spend less time bitching about Nader and more time trying to come with ways to motivate people to show up at the polls. The rest will take care of itself.
Click here for Grueter's previous column.
---------------------------------------
Mark Grueter is a writer living in New York City and the Managing Editor of Canon Magazine. He can be reached at grueter@methree.net.
©
2004 Me Three