06-13-2004 

QUOTABLES:

“Now that Nancy Reagan has taken her husband to his place of rest, we offer our gratitude. Our country is stronger and our world is freer for the brave leadership of this modest son of America.” President Bush, radio address.

 “You want to whet people’s appetite,” says Knopf spokesman Paul Bogaards, regarding the Bill Clinton memoir “My Life.”

"It was always artfully phrased, but he [Kerry] asked him {McCain] on several occasions to serve as his running mate," says a NY Times source.

BUSH BEAT

President Bush’s radio address

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week, America mourned the passing of President Ronald Reagan. We remembered a gentle, decent man, and one of the greatest leaders our nation has known. He was a courageous patriot whose leadership transformed the country and the world he leaves behind.

In this time of sadness, we think especially of Nancy Reagan, a loyal, loving wife of 52 years; and the President's three children, and the rest of the Reagan family.

Ronald Wilson Reagan entered the world more than 93 years ago in an apartment above a local bank in Illinois. His life would include success in careers from sports broadcasting to film acting to public office. Along the way, his deepest convictions were formed. And through all the trials of life, those convictions never wavered.

Ronald Reagan believed that everything happens for a reason, and that we can trust in God's purposes. He believed that people are basically good. He had no tolerance for bigotry or injustice. Above all, he believed in the courage and triumph of free men and in the capacity of the American people to overcome any obstacle.

President Reagan brought those convictions to the White House in 1981, and he departed eight years later with achievements that have endured. With bold, persistent action, he restored the confidence of our nation, strengthened the spirit of free enterprise, challenged and shamed an oppressive empire, and inspired millions with his conviction and moral courage.

As he showed what a President should be, he also showed us what a man should be. Ronald Reagan carried himself with a decency and attention to the small kindnesses that also define a good life. He was a courtly, gentle, and considerate man, never known to slight or embarrass others. From the Oval Office, he took time to answer letters from schoolchildren and grandmothers and countless strangers curious about life in the White House.

Ronald Reagan deeply loved the United States of America. And that love is being returned. Over the past week, tens of thousands of mourners stood in line in California and in Washington, D.C. to pay their final respects. There were 21-gun salutes and dignified processions, and home-made memorials at a funeral home in Santa Monica.

Now that Nancy Reagan has taken her husband to his place of rest, we offer our gratitude. Our country is stronger and our world is freer for the brave leadership of this modest son of America. Ronald Reagan always told us that for America, our best was yet to come. We know that is true for him, too. His work is done. And now a shining city awaits him.

May God bless Ronald Reagan.  Thank you for listening.

 Just POlitics

McCain’s NO means, NO

According to an article in the New York Times, Sen. John Kerry has made repeated overtures to Republican Sen. John McCain to take the Democrat Vice Presidential slot. The Kerry pursuit of McCain reportedly began shortly after Kerry secured the Dem nomination in March. A NY Times source is quoted as saying:

"It was always artfully phrased, but he asked him on several occasions to serve as his running mate," the individual said. "He'd say, `I don't want to formally ask because I don't want to be formally rejected, but having said that, would you do it?' or `I need you to do it,' or `I want you to do it.' "

"It was always phrased in such a way as to give both men plausible deniability," the individual added.

But the final word is a “flat-out no” from Sen. McCain. Some hold the belief that a Kerry-McCain ticket would be unbeatable in the November election. Which dulls the prestige of someone else accepting Kerry’s VP slot. Those most often touted for the spot are: Sen. John Edwards, Rep. Dick Gephardt, and Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack.

clinton comedies

Bubba’s Big Book Blitz

“You want to whet people’s appetite,” says Knopf spokesman Paul Bogaards, regarding the Bill Clinton memoir “My Life.”

The folks at Alfred A. Knopf Publishing are readying to more than ‘whet people’s appetite’ with a pre-publication publicity plan designed to practically gag Americans. With an official book release date of June 22nd, the deluge begins. Here’s the plan, according to a Washington Post article:

June 18-23, Infinity Broadcasting will begin playing excerpts from an abridged audio version of “My Life” read by Clinton -- a different one each day – and made available for use by news shows and via the Internet through AOL.

June 20, CBS’s “60 Minutes” will dedicate the entire hour to Clinton.

June 21, Clinton will tape an hour-long conversation with Oprah Winfrey.

June 22, Clinton’s hour-long Oprah show will be broadcast. Clinton will make appearances in several New York stores to sign.

June 23, Clinton will guest on the  “Today” show and “Good Morning America.”

June 24, Infinity and AOL team up to broadcast a live town hall meeting with Clinton in California.