Remembering history the way they wished it had been
Masks of Stateliness 
Matthew Yglesias sums up the current political search for Daddy’s old clothes:
“The Republican hagiography of Ronald Reagan is embarrassing but the JFK business is even more detached from reality.”
Not Happy 
Reagan progeny Patti Davis despairs at the Republican Presidential field’s efforts to all look like true sons of Ronnie. She seems particularly upset at Mike Huckabee’s fashion choices 
for bird slaughter, then closes with this send off:
“…imitation is not the sincerest form of flattery; it’s just an indication that the imitator is going through a serious identity crisis.”
Unstoppable! 
The New Nixon brings word that Richard Nixon may be among the questioners for Wednesday’s CNN/YouTube Republican candidate debate.
CNN threatens to provide us with both fun and poignancy.
Further emanations from the ghost of Gerald Ford. Or rather his publisher.
Hard to tell what exactly though. “FlatSigned Press“ re-published the Warren Commission report two years ago with some later ad-ons from Ford. BULLETIN: OSWALD DID IT! It came in several versions, including the leather bound with a ribbon marker edition. For extra swank and to keep one foot in the conspiracy camp, you could order the boxed $889 version, containing “artifacts from the Oak Tree and White Picket Fence from the “Grassy Knoll!” ” 
Classy!
Then in April this year they published still another edition, retitled 
“A Presidential Legacy and The Warren commission.” And lord only knows what’s in this one.
The breathless and way incoherent press release tries to hint at everything, then wanders off into dead ends.
“This week is the first ever anniversary since the passing of all members of the Warren Commission. The book, “A Presidential Legacy and The Warren Commission,” provides a new look into the mind of a former president in his final years and is the only source for Ford’s final written words in book format on the subject of the John F. Kennedy assassination, 9-11 and other major events of American history leading up to his death just months ago in December of 2006…A major retailer had negotiated for an exclusive offering of the hand- signed version of this book but later backed out fearing negative ramifications. So the American people heard this news because they heard it here.”
And more:
.” President Ford specifically and by name, debunked Oliver Stone’s theories and his movie and for the first time anywhere, gave us great information about how his brief administration and key figures he appointed then, still determine policy for the American people.”
How exactly did good old Gerry Ford fall in with these shysters?
Deal-y Plaza
All manner of Kennedy odds and ends are coming to market in time for Thursday’s 40th anniversary of the assassination.
The latest up: a Polaroid taken by Mary Ann Moorman,
showing Kennedy’s car in the midst of the shooting, with the grassy knoll visible in the background.
[here she is third from the left, taking the picture] 
The picture had been at the 6th Floor museum in Dallas, and has figured in all manner of theories about the assassination. Blown up fragments of the photo have been mined for images that could possibly be a shooter or shooters – hence a conspiracy to kill Kennedy. Some science supports the multiple gunmen thesis.
An attempt to sell the photo in April seems to have not worked out. Perhaps anniversary mojo will carry them over the top this time.
