Oh, and do you really need to kill animals to show what a great president you'd be?

The late President Ronald Reagan's daughter Patti Davis has an Op-Ed in the current issue of Newsweek (web edition); good-naturedly slamming the current crop of Republican presidential wannnabes for the constant comparison's of their earthly beings to his dearly departed one.

Patti's plea is a simple one. To paraphrase Patti and the witty Lloyd Bensten, "I knew Ronald Reagan. And you, sirs, are no Ronald Reagan".

Patti, whose political leanings differed greatly from her dad's, makes special mention of all the talk of personal religion in this campaign. She simply states,

On Friday's "Today Show", Mitt Romney again brandished my father's name, and claimed that, just as Ronald Reagan ended the Cold War, Romney can effectively govern and manage foreign policy in this horribly troubled world.

This, of course, was preceded by Romney's televised speech about his religion and his personal faith-something my father would never have dreamed of doing because his faith was, well, personal.

It's worth noting here that it was Reagan who first realized the potential voting power of Christian Evangelicals and Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority played a large part in both of Reagan's two wins.

We've talked on this blog about whether or not Ronald Reagan could be elected now here and here. Compared to the Republican candidates we see today, I don't think Ronnie would have much of a chance. Ms. Davis mentions how her father managed to win two elections without ever having looked ridiculous dressed up in camo and blaze orange:

So, apparently, we are being told that a competent, trustworthy president is someone who brandishes his religion like a neon sign, loads a gun and goes out hunting for beautiful winged creatures, and tries to imitate a past president (who, by the way, never shot a bird or felt the need to imitate anybody.) Lest you think I'm only zeroing in on Republicans, I haven't forgotten John Kerry's awkward donning of camouflage for a duck hunt.

Take a gander at the whole article, it's worth the read. It's good to hear from someone who was somewhat close to Saint Ronnie himself speak out on what it's like to see a bunch of grown men trying to claim the mantle of someone she lived with most of her life - even if it is the loony, left-wing crazy daughter. I'm sure half-brother Michael (and even perhaps the late Maureen) would see it differently.