To Big Media, almost without exception, the only "good" Republican is a dead one. The extreme hatred and vitriol shown by them to current President Bush...think that is new? Nope. Sure, it probably surpasses any dislike ever expressed by the media toward previous Republican high office holders. "Bush Derangement Syndrome" is alive and well, and will continue beyond his time in office. Everything bad that happens, hey, it’s his fault. Ok? Got it? And while we are at it, it is now John McCain and Sarah Palin’s fault, too.

That is what leftists, Big Media, and the majority of celebrities expressing political opinions would have you believe. But is this the first time they’ve acted this way? Not hardly.

Ronald Reagan is now generally acknowledged, even by a number of Democrats, some liberals among them, as one of the best presidents of our collective lifetime. When he died, we were initially amazed that Big Media treated his passing as a huge media event, with hour-after-hour coverage, and mostly favorable reminiscings about his life and times. What, actual respect being shown toward a Republican, even a conservative one?

Then, it dawned on us. The only good Republican, in Big Media’s omnipotent eye, is a dead one. After he/she is gone, then and only then can they sing some praises. By doing this, Big Media (1) can come off as genteel, respectful, and above-board toward the departed and those who admired him/her, and (2) can use the collective praising as a subtle dig at the current Republicans whom Big Media cannot stand and wishes it could spew out of its sight (see Bush, George W., above, and for this election’s purposes, John McCain and Sarah Palin).

Come on, if you are old enough, can’t you remember how Big Media and the entertainment world treated President Reagan when he was in office? You think current President Bush is the first Republican president to be called "stupid" by the media and Hollywood, and treated as if he didn’t have a clue? Happened all the time when Reagan was in office. The subtle and not so subtle barbs made about his age, his intellect, his hearing, and so on. Saturday night TV shows that regularly presented him in spoofs that made him out to be a dumbo, a puppet whose strings were constantly pulled by others.

What a farce. Big Media failed to recognize one of the greatest, if not the greatest, leaders of our time. Much of liberal Hollywood did the same, and Hollywood was where Ronald Reagan had come from. He was a Republican, and a conservative. Before either of those, he was an American. And, even before that, he was a Christian, and he loved his wife and family. So popular was he that even Democrats voted for him in droves. Yet, his was not a "messianic" type of popularity. He reached the real things, knew of what he spoke (despite the above portrayal of the opposite by the media), and was genuine through and through.

Several observers have drawn comparisons between Ronald Reagan and Sarah Palin. You won’t find Big Media pundits on the Left among those. To them, Sarah Palin doesn’t have a clue, and has no business "intruding" into "their" world. Sound familiar? Don’t worry, Sarah, they treated the Great Communicator the same way. Ronald Reagan is John McCain’s hero. We understand. Like Reagan, John McCain is a grounded individual who knows what he believes, and who knows how to lead. He also reminds us of Reagan, as does Sarah. There’s not anyone on the Left we can say that about–not that they would want to be caught dead reminding anyone of "the Gipper."

Big Media admitted at President Reagan’s death what it furiously fought to deny during his public lifetime. Only when he died did Big Media, and some portion of the Left, acknowledge him for who he truly was. No, to them, the only good Republican is...