Ron Reagan Jr. takes a swipe at Bush

[vbfan]

Dad was also a deeply, unabashedly religious man. But he never made the fatal mistake of so many politicians wearing his faith on his sleeve to gain political advantage. True, after he was shot and nearly killed early in his presidency, he came to believe that God had spared him in order that he might do good. But he accepted that as a responsibility, not a mandate. And there is a profound difference.



www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/nation/8904478.htm


He never mentions Bush by name, but I think it's pretty clear who he's talking about.

[Gorf]

Good article, thanks for posting it.

[Lwood]

ncaavbfan said:

Dad was also a deeply, unabashedly religious man. But he never made the fatal mistake of so many politicians wearing his faith on his sleeve to gain political advantage. True, after he was shot and nearly killed early in his presidency, he came to believe that God had spared him in order that he might do good. But he accepted that as a responsibility, not a mandate. And there is a profound difference.



www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/nation/8904478.htm


He never mentions Bush by name, but I think it's pretty clear who he's talking about.

It is a good article. But I disagree with you about it being an attack on Bush.

[Noname]

If Ron Reagan Jr. was taking a swipe at Bush, this article may explain the reasoning behind it.

Updated: 07:12 PM EDT

Bush Rejects Calls on Stem-Cell Research

By SCOTT LINDLAW, AP

WASHINGTON (June 14) -- The White House rejected calls Monday from Ronald Reagan's family and others to relax President Bush's restrictions on stem-cell research in pursuit of potential cures for illnesses.

Bush signed an executive order in August 2001 that limited federal help to financing stem cell research on 78 embryonic stem cell lines then in existence. Because day-old embryos are destroyed when stem cells are extracted, the process is opposed by some conservatives who link it to abortion.

Shortly before Reagan's death, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry and 57 other senators asked Bush to relax the restrictions. Nancy Reagan has long argued that using stem cells from embryos could lead to cures for a number of diseases like the Alzheimer's that afflicted her husband. Bush opposes using embryos for stem cell research.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Bush continues to believe that his policy is the right one.

''The president came up with a policy that will allow us to explore the promise of stem-cell research, and do so in a way that doesn't cross a certain moral threshold that he set,'' McClellan said. ''And I think he articulated his reasons for arriving at that decision. And that is his position, and that remains his position.''

Moreover, he said, ''we are still at a phase where we are conducting the basic research so that we can better understand the promise of stem-cell research. There's a lot we don't know at this point.''

McClellan would not directly answer questions about whether Bush would be open to relaxing his policy if current ''basic research'' begins to show promise.

But, he said, ''The president doesn't believe we should be creating life for the sole purpose of destroying life.''

[vbfan]

Actually Ronald Reagan Jr. has said in interviews that he considers himself liberal, but does not belong to any political party. He definitely is not what I would call a Bush supporter. So it's really not surprising for him to take a swipe at Bush while eulogizing his father.

It's interesting that Patti Davis also is known for her liberal political beliefs, and for a long time was for a long while did not have good relations with her parents. It must not have been easy growing up in a political family having to live your life in public.

[midwestfan]

Dad was also a deeply, unabashedly religious man. But he never made the fatal mistake of so many politicians wearing his faith on his sleeve to gain political advantage. True, after he was shot and nearly killed early in his presidency, he came to believe that God had spared him in order that he might do good. But he accepted that as a responsibility, not a mandate. And there is a profound difference.

What political advantage can there possibly be?!

I'll answer my own question ... None!

Seems like it is inappropriate to use your dad's funeral to make your own political statements ... expecially when they are so opposite of what he believed. IMHO, this was in poor taste.

[Gorf]

Reports from "insiders" (anonymous friends of the family apparently) seem to indicate that a number of president Reagan's family members and close associates really dislike GWB's attempts to compare himself and his political ideals to those of president Reagan.

[Deleted]

Perhaps this makes it more clear. Junior says:

"Yes, some of the current policies are an extension of the 80s. But the overall thrust of this administration is not my father's--these people are overly reaching, overly aggressive, overly secretive and just plain corrupt. I don't trust these people."

Not that I hold RR to any high regard. He was an awful president. Napped through half his tenure and forgot the rest of it. But at least he was just a buffoon. Bush is a buffoon and a stooge for some very bad people. (Reagan's people, I might add.)