Did Ronald Reagan Torture People?

When the apprentice dons the robes of his absent master, in an attempt to appear bigger and more important, the exact opposite impression is often the result. Watching the growing determination among the Rovians to run George W. as a clone of Ronald Reagan, I flashed on a half-remembered scene in Walt Disney's "Snow White" -- Dopey dressed up in clothes waaaay too big for him and eager to seem like what he demonstrably isn't. Lesson to George W.: borrowed clothes make you look SMALLER, chum.

Elizabeth Bumiller has an interesting analysis this a.m. about the gambit:

"This past weekend, the White House Web site prominently featured a collection of Reagan remembrances and a photo essay of Mr. Bush at the funeral for the former president. The Bush campaign Web site went one better, offering a video of Mr. Reagan uttering his most famous lines -- 'These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc' -- interspersed with Mr. Bush's own words -- 'He had the confidence that comes with conviction, the strength that comes with character.' It was difficult to tell where the 40th president ended and the 43rd began, a blurring further promoted by Ken Mehlman, the president's campaign manager, who told an Iowa Republican Party convention on Saturday that Mr. Reagan's spirit lived on. 'Every time an American soldier, sailor, airman or marine risks his or her life to ensure our security and peace, Ronald Reagan will be there,' Mr. Mehlman said."

They can assert all day that George W. is really the reincarnation of Ronald Reagan, but it's a comparison more stark in its differences than its similarities. And frankly, it's pretty dopey.