This made me giggle:
Former President Bill Clinton has privately expressed anger he has apparently been left off the speakers list of Friday’s Reagan State Funeral, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.
“President Clinton really held out all hope the funeral would be a nonpartisan event, like Nixon’s was,” a top Clinton source said on Tuesday morning. “He’s angry and disappointed neither he nor President Carter have been asked to speak, as of yet.”
The top source says Clinton has been critical that both Bush presidents will address the crowd gathered at National Cathedral.
Nixon’s vice president Gerald Ford did not speak at Nixon’s funeral.
Clinton’s inner circle is convinced Nancy Reagan has personally shut out Clinton from any high-profile participation.
Does anyone ever remember one polite- screw polite, one positive thing that the Clinton’s ever said about Ronald Reagan? I mean, just one. All I remember is the ‘decade of greed’ mantra along with systematically blaming Reagan for all the ills of society.
Is anyone really surprised he will not be a keynote speaker at Reagan’s funeral? Does anyone want him to be the speaker at Reagan’s funeral? Did anyone expect him to be the speaker? I didnn’t think so…
How would Clinton feel about Ken Starr speaking at his funeral? Just curious, you know.
*** Update ***
I am aware who Ken Starr is- and the analogy I was trying to make was not between comparable persons, but people who held comparable opinions. Having listened to Clinton prattle on about the decade of greed during his entire Presidency, my point was that Clinton feels about Reagan the way Ken Starr probably feels about Clinton.
Sorry to confuse you, sweetheart.
PS- are you natural blonde?
PPS- At Nixon’s funeral, Billy Graham, Bill Clinton (the current President), Bob Dole, Henry Kissinger (someone who knew the man well and served in his administration), and Pete Wilson spoke. No Carter. Was that political?
Name one reason Clinton should speak, other than his Schumeresque desire to be on camera 24/7?
If all the prominent Democrats are booed when they enter the funeral, and, if Reagan’s son comes on stage, starts pointing at Democrats, and wails for them to vote for George Bush to maintain Reagan’s legacy, I would agree it is as tacky and tasteless as the Wellstone pep-rally.
*** Update #2 ***
Question: Who are Earl Warren, Mike Mansfield, and John McCormack, and why would I ask this question?
Booker
What a narcissistic piece of crap. He deserved to be impeached and disbarred.
His legacy. Too late for him to change it now.
Jay
John mark my words. Before the day is out, some lefty blogger will talk about another one of Drudge’s bogus headlines and how the the mighty “right wing wurlizter” will pick it up and run with it.
sean
on the occasion of Reagan’s hip surgery in 2001:
In a statement issued Sunday, President Clinton sent well-wishes to the former president and his family. “Hillary and I are relieved that President Reagan’s treatment for his injury appears to have been successful,” Clinton said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the president, his wife, Nancy, and the entire Reagan family during this difficult period. We join all Americans in wishing him a speedy recovery.”
John Cole
That is it?
A form get-well statement to a 90 year old man riddled with Alzheimers suffering from a broken hip?
Thanks for proving my point, Sean.
sean
you asked for this: “Does anyone ever remember one polite- screw polite, one positive thing that the Clinton’s ever said about Ronald Reagan? I mean, just one. ”
and you got one that is both polite and positive. and this proves your point how?
Jay
Sean, stop it. The Clinton’s wishing well an Alzheimers afflicted old man with a broken hip didn’t take much effort on their part. So please, give the semantics a rest ok?
If the item is true, Bill Clinton has nothing to be angry about. Him and his wife and their henchpeople did nothing but trash Reagan, his legacy and everything he stood for, right up until the day he told the world he had alzheimers.
Why on earth should any of them be allowed to make speeches at that service?
Rick
More to the point, unless Ford and Carter are slated to speak, there’s no reason for Clinton to have such a reaction.
Yet one more example of his narcissism.
Cordially…
Dean
The last President (ex-President) who died was Richard Nixon.
Who spoke at HIS funeral?
http://www.nixonfoundation.org/Research_Center/Nixons/RichardNixonFuneral.shtml
Billy Graham (officiating), gave the opening and closing remarks.
Henry Kissinger
Robert Dole, listed as Senate Republican leader.
Pete Wilson, listed as Governor of CA
Bill Clinton, listed as President of the United States
I see no evidence that Jimmy Carter was asked to speak. I see no evidence that George McGovern was asked to speak. Does this make Nixon’s funeral somehow political or politicized?
A corresponding group of people to speak at Reagan’s funeral would be Billy Graham or equivalent, George Schultz or Al Haig, Bill Frist, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and George Dubya AS PRESIDENT OF THE US. Where’s the politics?
Bill K
Statement of Former President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary and I will always remember President Ronald Reagan for the way he personified the indomitable optimism of the American people, and for keeping America at the forefront of the fight for freedom for people everywhere. It is fitting that a piece of the Berlin Wall adorns the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington.
President Reagan demonstrated his strength and resolve after leaving office when he shared his struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease with the world. We will always remember his tremendous capacity to inspire and comfort us in times of tragedy, as he did after the loss of the space shuttle Challenger. Now he, too, has “slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God,” and we can rest assured that, as joyous a place as Heaven is, his wit and sunny disposition are making it an even brighter place to be.
Hillary and I send our prayers to Nancy, their children and their many friends and family, as well as our gratitude for the life of a true American original.
Oliver
Hey Jay, has any legit news site run this story? Do they run 70% of what Drudge “breaks”? And no, Newsmax doesn’t count as “news”.
Mr Furious
“Hillary and I will always remember President Ronald Reagan for the way he personified the indomitable optimism of the American people, and for keeping America at the forefront of the fight for freedom for people everywhere. It is fitting that a piece of the Berlin Wall adorns the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington.”
Does that count as polite? Do you idiots actually think Clinton (or Carter) would actually step up to a mic and denounce Reagan at his own funeral?
This is a classic example of Clinton-hating on the Right being much stronger than any Reagan-hating I’ve seen in the last week.
Clinton is an eloquent speaker, who would read a well-prepared speech, that would represent the HALF of this country who aren’t Republicans. After all, Reagan was everybody’s President, not just you wingnuts.
After Dubya is halfway through screwing up his speech, you’ll be wishing it was Clinton up there speaking.
kevin
So, let me understand this: Nicons funeral, where representatives form all the major parites spoke, and Reagans funeral, where only memebers of one major party are going to be allowed to speak, are the same becaseu President Carter did not. Is not going to speak at either.
That is a truly amazing piece of logic there, mate.
Anonymous
The analogy still really doesn’t make any sense. Unless Clinton spent most of the 1980s trying to get Reagan impeached. Clinton has never done anything to indicate the sort of visceral hatred of Reagan that Starr showed of him. A slightly more reasonable analogy would be whether former President George W. Bush should speak at Clinton’s funeral if he dies after Bush leaves office. And if Bush were to give a respectful, eloquent speech as Clinton would have for Reagan, it wouldn’t bother me much at all.
John Cole
KEvin- The only reason a Democrat spoke at Nixon’s funeral was because he was the CURRENT PRESIDENT.
Anonymous
And you do indeed seem to be missing the point that a Democrat spoke at Nixon’s funeral and none will be speaking at Reagan’s. Which is a little odd because Reagan did reach out to many Democrats as president.
16
If they’re only having current Presidents speak, perhaps they ought to have extended an invitation to the man who polled the most votes in the last election.
Just to be, you know, non-partisan.
Rick
So *no* former Presidents are scheduled to speak. Fine.
And still Clinton pouts. Since the Hubble telescope got fixed up on his watch, you’d think he’d more readily understand that the world doen’t revolve around him.
Though enough toadies certainly do.
Cordially…
bonzo
It looks like you’re asking this question so you can try to impress people with your Googling skills. The big difference between that event and current circumstances is that the former didn’t happen in an election year and wasn’t being hyped to death by a president desperate to be re-elected.
Harley
Yikes. If you honestly believe that Clinton’s opinions re Reagan — hey, I know, shout “decade of greed” one more time, John, and it’ll darn sure make your point! — were on a par with Starr’s re Clinton, well, what once seemed to be nothing more than sloppy writing now looks a lot more like the annoying prattle of one wearing dim bulb blinkers. Keep up the good work!
Rick
What a bunch of thick skulls. Clinton has no more claim to the podium than any other ex-President.
Can he ever get over himself? Looks like he can’t.
Cordially…
bg
Wrong rick, both President Bush and former President Bush will speak.
Clang
Rick:
“So *no* former Presidents are scheduled to speak. Fine.”
According to the article above, Bush 41 is scheduled to speak.
Clang
” Clinton has no more claim to the podium than any other ex-President.”
You know, you could just as easily argue that the Bushes are hogging the spotlight here.
John Cole
THe current president pretty much always speaks.
GHW Bush was Reagan’s VP for 8 years and his successor. Can’t imagine why he would speak.
Clang
Why, did someone suggest Bush 41 shouldn’t speak?
Ricky
Good God, a man cannot be buried w/o Clintonites obsessing over his majesty.
Unbelievable.
Sam
Nixon’s funeral wasn’t a state funeral. This one is, why should only half the “state” be represented?
Tanya Roberts
Jesus, Cole, you really are stupid. Your analogies are worthless.
Dean
Sam, shark, Bitter:
Where are you people coming up w/ this idea that the Nixon funeral was NOT a State Funeral?!??
“The eulogists at his State Funeral were President Bill Clinton, Senator Robert Dole, California Governor Pete Wilson, and his second Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger.”
That line comes from the Nixon Foundation itself:
http://www.nixonfoundation.org/Research_Center/Nixons/RichardNixon.shtml
Do y’all just make this stuff up or what?!??
John Cole
Dean- Yes.
John Cole
Thank you, Tanya.
You sucked in A View To A Kill.
:)
scarshapedstar
Okay, so we’ve got plenty of kind words coming from Clinton re: Reagan. But you guys say he’s lying. Well, shit, are you implying that all the other politicians there are telling the honest-to-God truth, or that Bush will even be reading something that he wrote himself? Geez.
Tanya Roberts
Well, yeah, I did. But I did killer work for That 70s Show!
SamAm
Are there ANY Democrats slated to speak at the funeral?
Seriously.
Does anyone know?
And if they’re not, can anyone, even John Cole, tell me why that’s the case.
The Reagan Funeral is not shoot-around for the RNC convention.
At least it shouldn’t be.
shark
Tell you what. You want DEMOCRATS to speak at the funeral? I have an idea, lets just dispense with the Dems making their false speech and read the media clips and quotes they had to say about him when he was in office.
That’s the TRUE Democrat point of view.
Not politically acceptable palp you’re hearing now.
annalivia
Good idea. And run the clips of GHWB’s comments about voodoo economics too.
The Bushes’ clinging to Reagan just makes them look like needy imposters. Sort of like going AWOL and dressing up in a flight suit years later.
John Cole
Sam- I have no idea if there are any Democrats speaking, but if there are not, I an give you a quick reason why not:
REAGAN WAS A REPUBLICAN.
Not to mention, any Democrats that would have been appropriate to speak at reagan’s funeral are long since dead. IE, Tip O’Neill, Layne Kirkland, etc.
retired military
How about this.
Clinton can die and we wont have Bush Senior speak at his funeral. Good ole Al can do it for everyone. I am sure that will be as refreshing as his last 2 speeches. Hell Al could even repeat some of his old material.
“He betrayed this country. He played on our fears”
Clang
“I have no idea if there are any Democrats speaking, but if there are not, I an give you a quick reason why not:
REAGAN WAS A REPUBLICAN.”
Mkay, now name the last state funeral at which only members of one party spoke. If your reasoning is to hold water, then it should be every durned one of them: the deceased was a Republican? No Democrats allowed. The deceased was a Democrat? No Republicans allowed.
Good thinking.
John Cole
Clang- It is not that Clinton is not allowed, he is just not invited. In the last two funerals, the only reason members of the oppostion party spoke was because they werethe CURREWNT PRESIDENT.
How many times does this have to be repeated before it sinks in.
There is no tradition of bi-partisan euologies, because this is non-partisan event. As such, generally, the people who know the person best and are best-equipped to send him off are was closest to, which, surprise, usually turns out to be MEMBERS OF THE SAME PARTY.
Jeebus, you people are dense.
Mason
Oh my god, what a manufactured pile of shit-scandal. No Democrats to speak at the funeral? OH NO! HOW UNFAIR! WAAAH!!! I can’t believe you folks — spit on Reagan while demanding the right to speak at his funeral? You guys are insane.
Scruffy
The Reagan foundation link checks out, but there’s also this:
“The Reagan family yesterday announced plans to allow America to bid farewell to the former president, culminating Friday in a day of national mourning and the nation’s first presidential state funeral since the 1973 death of Lyndon Baines Johnson.”
That comes from the Washington Times. (http://washingtontimes.com/national/20040607-011215-7577r.htm)
I’m not going to speculate on which source is more authoritative, but there’s no need to accuse folks of just making stuff up.
Tin Man
There’s a difference between having a state funeral and lying in state. Nixon did, in fact, have a state funeral, but it occurred in Yorba Linda, California. He didn’t lie in state, though. From yesterday’s New York Times:
“Many presidents have chose not to have a state funeral, like Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose rites were held at the family home in Hyde Park, N.Y. Many others have chosen not to lie in state, like Richard M. Nixon, who was buried in a simple ceremony at his presidential library in Yorba Linda, Calif. Mr. Nixon, who resigned in 1974 at the height of the Watergate scandal, never felt welcome in Washington.”
Paul Pope
Well, I live in Ohio, and I assure you that Nixon lied in my state every single time he set foot in it.
Norah
Look, this is simple. At a State funeral of a former president, all living ex-presidents should be at least invited to speak, regardless of party. Keeping it one-sided just looks like scoring cheap, partisan points. If Reagan was so damn beloved by all, why not prove it by allowing members of the opposite party say a few words?
Andrew | BYTE BACK
That you would all get outraged over a bogus Drudge Report (ah, but then I’m being reduntant) shows a severe lack of moral clarity.
I agree there doesn’t really seem to be much reaosn for Clinton to speak. But that’s far different from the report and all the comments here that “the man can’t get over himself.”
Get a true source. Really – Drudge is very bad. And the more partisan it is, the more bags of salt you should buy.
Andrew | BYTE BACK
And by they way you went from giggle to pissy in less time then it takes me to piss.
(PS – You’re counter is gone below. Says there’s new code).