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Politics : Proof that John Kerry is Unfit for Command -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sojourner Smith who wrote (5430)	8/31/2004 5:11:15 PM
From: American Spirit	Respond to of 27181

More evidence of how phony the GOP convention is: Reagan himself kept in GOP closet Conservatives dismayed over low Reagan profile at Republican convention NEW YORK (AFP) - US president Ronald Reagan (news - web sites)'s death just three months ago sparked a wave of nostalgia and a revival of Republican optimism, but traces of his legacy are conspicuously scarce at the party's convention. The conservative Republican died on June 5, aged 93, after a decade-long battle with Alzheimer's disease (news - web sites), triggering a national outpouring and a week of mourning laden with pomp and ceremony that was led by party royalty. The airwaves were flooded with retrospectives of Reagan as a Cold War warrior and social conservative, while President George W. Bush (news - web sites), seen by many as his ideological heir, used the elan to reignite enthusiasm for his own conservative agenda. But three months on, the stirring eulogies have given way to what right-wing Republicans slam as only half-hearted reminders of his legacy at the party's biggest showcase event, its national convention in New York. "There is a shadow of disappointment and doubt on the way this convention has been set up," said Richard Engle before unveiling a new statue of Reagan, sporting his trademark cowboy outfit, on the fringes of the party gala on Tuesday. "I and many other Republicans would have really liked to see far more time and bigger tributes being dedicated to the memory of Ronald Reagan, instead of having this focus on more liberal speakers," he told AFP. As a slew of moderates, including California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, trouped on stage in an attempt to convince more liberal voters to re-elect Bush, only a few reminders of Reagan were in evidence. A short video tribute to the president who ruled from 1981-89 will be played for the nearly 5,000 party convention delegates Wednesday following a speech by his broadcaster son Michael Reagan, organisers said. The party also included a brief tribute to the onetime Hollywood actor known as "the Gipper" in its platform document, while a handful of speakers, including ex-New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, fleetingly mentioned paid tribute to him in speeches. But Reagan's memory appeared to be a long way from the official proceedings at Madison Square Garden. "Some members of the campaign felt that focusing on president Reagan could minimize President Bush's impact and worry moderates," said Engle, the president of the conservative National Federation of Republican Assemblies. "But while the Republican National Convention is mostly moderate, the bulk of Republicans in the country are conservative and we believe that Reagan's legacy would help rather than hinder us in the November election," he said. Engle and his group are moving to revive Reagan's memory and political legacy with the erection of a 2.4-meter (8-foot) bronze statue of him in Washington's Ronald Reagan government building in January. At a ceremony prefaced by fervent prayers for God to protect Bush and to help replace "radical" US judges who support abortion and homosexual rights, the group unveiled a model of the smiling statue Tuesday and launched a drive to raise 500,000 dollars to pay for it. "Ronald Reagan was a great man and a great president," Engle said. "His legacy in immense. Without him, many of President Bush's policies, including his doctrine on terrorism, would not even exist." While Bush himself has identified himself closely with Reagan in the past, with supporters comparing his war on terror with Reagan's tough stance against the Soviet Union, the party now appears hesitate to overplay the "Gipper" card ahead of the election. One reason could be fears that the Reagan name could become a political liability to Bush after the ex-president's widow Nancy Reagan publicly attacked his opposition to stem-cell research, while his son Ron Reagan was a featured speaker at last month's Democratic convention. But fans of the charismatic Ronald Reagan insist that his memory should be kept alive in Republican hearts ahead of the presidential polls. "He is still loved and respected and it seems out of step with Republican voters to neglect his memory and the legacy which he bequeathed to America," Engle said.