Hugh Hewitt makes a very smart point this morning, concerning the political fallout from President Reagan's death. Inevitably, as Reagan's political and spiritual heir, the celebrations of the Gipper's virtues remind voters of Bush's embrace of those same virtures.

Focus on President Reagan inevitably reminds people of why Reagan was a great president: character, principles, good humor, optimism and a deep, deep love of America.  Then they look at the current president and see the very same qualities.  Of course the celebration of Reagan's life and leadership will buoy George W. Bush's campaign, and for very good and legitimate reasons.  W is the Gipper's political heir.

Hugh takes this insight a step further, though, and really cuts to the essence of the situation. Kerry is in many ways Jimmy Carter's spiritual heir.

...Kerry, who is in compelling ways the heir to Jimmy Carter's mantle far more than he is to Bill Clinton's.  In fact, the 1980 and the 2004 campaigns are starkly similar, and they share with 1972 the undeniable and unavoidable choice between a candidate pledged to victory in war and one pledged to retreat and a self—deluding multilateral ism which is really appeasement.

While Carter was not a decorated war hero, remember that he made much of his Naval service under Admiral Hyman Rickover, the father of the nuclear—powered submarine fleet. Carter ran as both a technocrat and as a military man who had braved and survived a notoriously demanding boss. The military gloss was a bit less shiny than Kerry's [at least until the circumstances of Kerry's medal awards receive more scrutiny], but it served a similar purpose: allowing American voters to trust a Democrat with the national security function of the Commander—in—Chief.

Posted by Thomas  06 07 04