Simi Valley earthquake false alarm.
Reagan burial vault rocks as deceased President protests band of goof balls debating in his library.

I was not a fan of President Reagan. I voted against him twice. He helped President Ford’s 1976 defeat by unnecessarily challenging him in the GOP primary and I never forgave him in the ballot box. I may be on the wrong side of history but no less so than the ten Reagan wannabe’s who overlook the best part of Reagan. So let this unlikely extoller of Reagan say a few words about the Gipper. He wasn’t brilliant and he wasn’t complicated. He wasn’t a multi tasker. He had a few core goals as President and those were the things he devoted himself to. He was an actor and a superb communicator. But long before Ronald Wilson Reagan was a Californian he was an Illinoisan–from the Midwest, the heartland. It was there that he gained perhaps his most authentic quality–he was comfortable in his own skin. He didn’t try to be all things to all people. He liked who he was. He didn’t define his vision based on someone else.

The GOP debate Thursday night at the Reagan Library was pathetic in every conceivable way.
There was only one debate participant who has the qualities we desperately need in a president, John McCain and he looked like he was playing the role of Admiral Stockdale, Ross Perot’s running mate in 1992. In an apparent effort to seem commanding, McCain seemed grumpy and tired–and weird. By the way, Senator, if you are going to bark out that you will chase Osama Bin Laden to the gates of hell, don’t crack a shit eating grin when you deliver the silly line.

Rudy Giuliani was the most impressive. He was optimistic and exuded strong leadership. He was actually extraordinary given his distance from the conservative wing of the GOP. The ProConPundit still has misgivings about a Rudy run. There is a case to be made that if you are a strong enough leader you could run any company. Lee Iacocca could have probably led Pepsi. He knew nothing about Pepsi and everything about leadership. We see CEO’s move from one type of business to a completely different type and do just fine. The usual argument that governors make good presidents follows this logic. Most governors know nothing about running federal government but are good governmental CEO’s. Eight years of Bush, who is not stupid but was not astute enough around foreign policy and a host of other job requirements. We relied on the people he surrounded himself with and they fell short. The ProConPundit argues that in 08 we need a president who has first hand competence to lead our nation. In my book, of the current field there are only three people qualified: John McCain, Joe Biden and, it pains me to say it, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Mitt Romney did a good job in the debate. The ProConPundit doesn’t like Romney which is okay because he may be someone different in five minutes. He was pro-choice and pro-gay when he was running for governor of a liberal state. Now that he is running for a conservative nomination, he is pro-life and anti-gay. Sorry, flip-floppers need not apply.

Ron Paul and Tom Tancredo are the GOP answers to Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel. Part prophet, part whack-job. Tancredo’s role is an important one as he holds the party accountable on immigration. Sam Brownback and Jim Gillmore are angry, Mike Huckabee just wants to preach. Tommy Thompson needs 24 hours to decide that gays and lesbians maybe shouldn’t be fired for being gay. Jim Gillmore and Duncan Hunter are asterisks.

The ProConPundit likes Fred Thompson but I may be enamored of him as a result of the void in the current field, the same way Obama is the great hope of Democrats. Thompson and Obama both, as one terms senators, lack the bona fides for the oval office.