I watched the funeral procession for President Reagan's casket on C-SPAN last night. It was all pomp and pageantry to be sure. Well, that and a horse with boots backwards in the stirrups that would not stay still at all.
Fiancee S. and I were wondering earlier in the week when the last State funeral for an ex-President was. Richard Nixon evidently opted for a private funeral rather than a State funeral. The only other ex-Presidents to die in my lifetime were Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson in the early 1970's. I guess that would make LBJ the last State funeral before Reagan.
After watching the funeral, I decided that I might disagree with Reagans politics and policies, but I cannot begrudge him the pageantry of a State funeral. True, I think that political hay is being made of this... but I'm not necessarily sure that it will have lasting effects going into the Fall elections. I regret suggesting that he doesn't deserve the honor. Any person who can manage to be elected President and serve honorably deserves the honor.
said drgeek
on 2004-06-10 at 2:54 p.m.
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