Pity the poor Republicans. Up until now, the twentieth century’s most eulogized fallen Presidents were Democratic liberal heroes FDR and JFK. Especially now, they need a deity of their own and by God they’ll have one:

“The nation’s longest-lived president, Ronald Reagan, will celebrate his 93 birthday on February 6. Sadly, this birthday may be his last. He can no longer speak, feed himself, or recognize family and friends. Nine years after he was first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, he is in the final stages of the debilitating disease.

When Reagan dies, Americans across the political spectrum will mourn him. But, if his most fervent supporters have their way, his passing will become a factional celebration, not a national commemoration, especially if he dies during the months ahead, while the president who has been hailed as his spiritual son, George W. Bush, is running for re-election. An assortment of former White House staffers, conservative commentators, think tank scholars and direct mail entrepreneurs have been conducting a campaign to make sure that Reagan is remembered in exactly the way that they want: as one of the greatest presidents and also as the prophet of hard-core conservatism.”