Reluctant Politician

On the day marking 100 years since his birth, it seemed like a fitting time to post this entry dedicated to former President Ronald Reagan. This was written on the day of his funeral nearly seven years ago.

Friday, June 11, 2004

9:58 p.m.

This is the first entry of what I hope will become regular entries into my personal dairy. The funeral services for former President Ronald Reagan are just wrapping up at his Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. What an amazing day of final farewells for a great man. I really feel for his wife, Nancy. She crossed the country twice and has been by Ronnie’s coffin throughout the entire week of events commemorating President Reagan. She has been so composed and comforting, demonstrating depths of courage, fortitude and compassion beyond what anyone had any right to expect of her. She is an incredible woman to have made it through such difficult times with such grace. Tears came to my eyes many times throughout the services today, but she remained composed publicly up until the last time she approached the casket and said good-bye to her beloved husband.

Nancy Reagan says her final goodbyes to President Ronald Reagan. Source: www.news.navy.mil/search/photolist.asp

Reagan’s funeral is the first state funeral I have witnessed – via CNN quite naturally. Journalism is the field I turned my back on nearly 10 years ago, yet it is the television news channels I turn to when major events happen and seem to go days without turning the channel.

Back to the subject I had in my mind when I started this, before it disappears among the jumble of my own thoughts and outside stimulus. I felt little when former President Richard Nixon died a few years ago. His Presidency was a time of my youth when politics were something adults paid attention to while us kids played. But Reagan’s Presidency was one I can recall. I may not have agreed with all of his actions but I do respect him as a man and thank him for having had the courage and desire to ascend to the Office of President and serve his country for eight years.

I’ve often said that those who are qualified to run the country are to smart to run for President. It is with complete faith in these words that I believe Reagan was the exception to that. He did what he thought was right – not just for our country, but for the entire world.

The outpouring by the public was awe-inspiring. I imagine that more than one percent of the total population of the United States paid their respects, either by walking by his casket while it laid in state in California and Washington D.C., or by lining the roads as he made his long final journey. He inspired American citizens to believe in the greatness of our country and it’s potential. (continue reading…)

The protests which have led to an uprising of the people in Egypt have given new hope to democracy taken root in the Arab world. Admittedly the protests in Egypt and the response by the government seems to have been fairly peaceful to date. The military does not appear to have taken up arms against the protesters who wish to end the three-decade reign of President Hosni Mubarak. Although such is not all that surprising when you consider the very fact that the Egyptian military is largely paid for by the American government. Why a country with a $13 trillion deficit is financing the militaries of foreign governments is an altogether different issue. So let’s just leave it on the table hidden under a napkin and move on for now.

United States President Barack Obama and his administration have reportedly been discussing with Egyptian officials a variety of proposals to create a transitional government and remove Mubarak from office immediately. The odds are those discussions have been fairly one sided with the Obama administration calling for the immediate removal of Mubarak and elevation of their choice as the new president. My personal opinion is that such discussions are a mistake. And not a small mistake at that. (continue reading…)