Goodbye to Ronald Reagan

Posted on June 18, 2004

After a week of unprecedented media coverage of the funeral and memorial service of President Ronald Reagan, I must admit that one thing that struck me was the incredible style and panache of the Reagans, as compared with the last few administrations. It's not a partisan observation, merely a stylistic one. American hasn't had a state funeral since the one for President Johnson in 1973. In 2004, we demonstrated that we still know how to pull off a grand event with style.

Apparently, every U.S. president has a full funeral plan on file with the government, and is supposed to update his plan every year. Ron and Nancy Reagan did update this plan on a yearly basis, as requested. President George Bush, Sr. has a plan on file. Bill Clinton hasn't filed one yet. Every U.S. president is entitled to a state funeral, but it's not required. Not every president wanted one. Harry S. Truman died less than a month before Johnson in 1973, for example, but his widow, Bess, was ill and didn't want to travel to Washington. Richard Nixon died in 1994, but didn't want his body flown to D.C., a place that had many bad memories for the only U.S. President to resign from office.

From the moving procession of the caisson through the streets of Washington, D.C., to the riderless black horse with President Reagan's favorite boots in the stirrups, to the multi-faith service at the beautiful National Cathedral, to the sunset burial at the presidential library in Simi Valley, California, it was flawlessly orchestrated. Nancy Reagan wore black with simple gold jewelry, made more striking by the contrast with her usual red tailored suits.

Ronald Reagan was a man with strong opinions, and not everyone agreed with his views when he was in office. But what even his detractors remembered in the various tributes given throughout the week was his ability to joust with Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill on everything from welfare to the arms race, then at 6 o'clock, shake hands and socialize at the various diplomatic parties and state dinners that were a staple of the Reagan years.

This is a lesson that both political parties could learn from today. The rancor on Capitol Hill is the worst it's ever been. It seems as if both Democrats and Republicans are guilty in this regard. No one can agree to disagree on big issues, while agreeing that we're all Americans who love this country. And that is something that Ronald Reagan would not have approved of at all.