Bloodless Coup

Edmund Morris on Reagan (or George W.)

In his review of Reagan in the June 28 issue of The New Yorker Edmund Morris had a few lines that sounded strangely familiar. “Ronald Reagan was not an initiator; he never called a meeting or drafted a new policy or hired or fired, unless somebody suggested it.” Am I the only person who thinks this sounds just like what Condi Rice (wrongly) thinks her job is? It sounds spot on to me. Of course it also sounds a bit like W as well. But for a real description of Bush, errr, Reagan, check this out: “Reagan’s most regrettable characteristic in later years was his incuriosity, compounded, as it was, by a refusal to be budged from any shibboleth that suited him.” Spooky, no? Is there something in the job description for Republicans who want to live at 1600 Pennsylvania (or something in their primary system and constituencies) that requires absolute cognitive consistency?