The Reagan Myth: Apparently CBS finally got adjusted as to what happens to un-authorized portrayals as to the former Idol in Chief, Ronald Reagan. It's pulling the miniseries starring James Brolin as the Gipper. I don't know that I've ever seen such a protected image as Reagan's. Granted, he's still alive, which sets a different spin on things, but beginning with Nancy standing in for her man, and culminating recently with Noonan's fawning account of his life, the airport, and the aircraft carrier, it's clear that, perhaps much like JFK, Reagan is being set up as THE icon for his branch of idealogy, and this is a strict orthodoxy, tolerating no dissent.

I think it's fair that he's being picked as the godhead of conservatives, but that doesn't mean critical examination of that life can't occur (even Jesus gets his makeovers). If CBS is pulling the show and putting it on Showtime, for fear of boycotts (and by all accounts, this show is no smear-job, but rather tries to show a complex man during complex times) because certain people can't handle being criticized, then it shows that there is something afoot larger than the man. It also does many a disservice, especially younger people who now won't even have a chance to learn about someone that they either were too young to remember, or maybe missed altogether. Shame on CBS.