Liberty Triumphant Over A Dead Cow?  Treasures From The Yeltsin Center  
The New York Times reports another outbreak of American style presidentialish-ness, this time in the wilds of Russia.
The Boris Yeltsin Presidential Center looms over Yekaterinburg, where young Boris began his climb of the greasy Communist pole.  His previous boosts to local history  include destroying  the building where the Bolsheviks killed the Russian royal family.
Boris is going to get the full American cheese plate, with stirring versions of his “compelling personal story” and a reproduction of his tank-standing posture in the events leading up to the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Tanks for the Memories  
Tank-adjacent events apparently not to be marked include his killing hundreds while shelling the Parliament which had impeached him. 
 Americans still basking in the afterglow of Saint Ronnie’s miracle victory over Communism may not recall that in the aftermath of  Parliament’s defeat Yeltsin rewrote the constitution removing any limits on Presidential power, enjoyed two genocidal wars in Chechnya and elevated the obscure Vladimir Putin to greatness.  While looting the economy.
Visitors will thrill to a recreation [“not a replica” the Times stresses] of his presidential office, featuring the actual furniture.
Homes Of Distinction  
You can’t blame the realtor for trying, but why does the Washington Post think we care if the house of someone who was a White House aide almost 50 years ago is for sale? True LBJ obsessives may recall Harry McPherson,  Lyndon Johnson’s speechwriter who famously did not write the  “I Shall Not Seek” speech, but Jesus.
Wiley old Clark Clifford at least had the moxie to actually host Truman and Johnson before going out with a bang, avoiding indictment over fronting for the CIA and worse money launderers BCCI because prosecuters felt sorry for the old man.
Back In Black? Â Â 
Salute to hardest working man in show business David Weigel, for spotting Michael Reagan’s latest cry for help.
Hopefully having exhausted the old “New Reagan” mine, the Ronald Reagan semi-scion’s increasingly desperate attention seeking has led him to tap new veins of comic gold, riffing off the Bill Clinton/First Black President meme.
Writing for Tiger Beat of the rhythm-less The Conservative Teen , the Toni Morrison of strained analogies digs deep.
Boldly so, considering President Reagan’s colorful past.
Michael Reagan is known for these fanciful histories, having previously analogised Gerald Ford and Saddam Hussein.
Tall Tales TrashedÂ
From the wilds of academe comes the shattering of yet another right wing Barack Obama trope, his frequently complained about tendency to first-person pronounce himself into every occasion.
Except he doesn’t.
So we learn in Ben Zimmer’s New York Times review of social psychologist James W. Pennebaker’s  “The Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us.†In fact, “Obama has distinguished himself as the lowest I-word user of any of the modern presidents.â€
Actual facts haven’t stopped past trafficers in Obama fashion faux-pas, teleprompter dependence, and furniture abuse tall tales, but although fastener complaints burgeon, we live in hope.
As America marked the 10th anniversary at ground zero with solemn ceremony, and Paul Simon, word comes of an exciting new cashing in on The 9/11 Experience®
Your Barack Obama action figure, standing over the bleeding corpse of Osama Bin Laden.
 Make My Presidents Day  |
 
   Kind of makes Bush’s pistol plaque seem somehow inadequate, doesn’t it? Â
 Americans still basking in the afterglow of Saint Ronnie’s miracle victory over Communism may not recall that in the aftermath of  Parliament’s defeat Yeltsin rewrote the constitution removing any limits on Presidential power, enjoyed two genocidal wars in Chechnya and elevated the obscure Vladimir Putin to greatness.  While looting the economy.
