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The Morning Grind / DayAhead |
The long goodbye
By Robert Yoon
CNN Political Unit
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 VIDEO |
 CNN's Brian Todd previews the state funeral.
 Mikhail Gorbachev pays tribute to Ronald Reagan.
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| REAGAN CEREMONIES | 
Funeral services
The body is moved to Washington National Cathedral for a state funeral service at 11:30 a.m. ET.
It then is flown back to California for a 6:15 p.m. PT (9:15 p.m. ET) private funeral, followed by burial at the Reagan Library
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Crass, Washington-style politicking will be on hold just one day more as Americans observe a National Day of Mourning today in honor of former president Ronald Reagan. Fans of crass, Washington-style politicking will be fully reimbursed starting next week.
Family, friends, and more than 20 world leaders will gather at Washington National Cathedral for a national funeral service at 11:30 a.m., the first such presidential memorial service at that location since Harry S Truman's in January 1973. (Lyndon Johnson died a few weeks later, but his service was held at another location).
The program for today's service includes tributes and readings from both the Presidents Bush, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, and a pre-taped message from former British Prime Minister and Reagan's conservative soulmate Margaret Thatcher. Former Missouri senator and U.N. Ambassador-designate John Danforth, an ordained Episcopal priest, will officiate, with participation from Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, and Greek Orthodox leaders.
The service will last about two hours, at which point the late President and former First Lady Nancy Reagan will fly back to the Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California, for a final interment service at sunset.
Both of today's services are closed to the public, and if you have to ask, you probably aren't invited. However, those who wish to pay their respects to the former president but don't have a ticket to the service and missed this morning's 7 a.m. cutoff to view the casket in the Capitol Rotunda can catch the tail end of a 24-hour, 15-movie Ronald Reagan marathon on Turner Classic Movies, which for full disclosure, is owned by CNN parent company Time Warner. Or if you're in the D.C. area, you can situate yourself near the Cathedral at around 1:15 p.m. and listen to the bells toll 40 times in honor of the late 40th president. Churches around the country are being encouraged to follow suit, but check with your local place of worship for details.
Today's events culminate a week of Reagan memorials and tributes, and also one of suspended animation for the presidential campaigns. Both President Bush and John Kerry suspended all overt campaign activity this week, which for weary political reporters means a much-welcomed conference call-free zone. In addition, both Bush and Kerry as well as campaigns across the country pulled down their television ads today, in what's likely to be the most widespread political ad moratorium since the first anniversary of September 11.
Next week: Politics as usual
Politics will resume next week. After attending the service today with his wife Teresa, Kerry will head to Pittsburgh for a down weekend, and returns to D.C. Sunday night before shipping off to New Jersey on Monday. Kerry will spend the rest of the week campaigning in several Midwestern showdown states.
The Bush campaign did not release any details on the president's schedule for next week, although this weekend he and First Lady Laura Bush will head to the Lone Star State to celebrate former President Bush's 80th birthday on Saturday.
Bush 41 will be the guest of honor at a huge bash at Minute Maid Park in Houston. CNN's Larry King will emcee the gala, with an expected guest list of over 5000, including Mikhail Gorbachev and other luminaries who attended the Reagan funeral services. Proceeds from the gala will go to the former President's Points of Light Foundation, as well as the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas in Houston, and the George Bush Library Foundation.
On Sunday, Bush 41 will celebrate his membership in the octogenarian's club by jumping out of an airplane for the fourth time in his life. The first time was in September 1944, when his plane was shot down over the Pacific Ocean in World War II. The others were planned jumps in 1997 and again in 1999 to celebrate his 75th birthday.
The elder Bush reportedly invited Gorbachev to jump with him, but the former Soviet leader politely declined. Larry King had planned to accompany the former president on the jump, but his doctor nixed the idea.
Meanwhile, former First Lady Barbara Bush quietly turned 79 on Tuesday, although no parachutes were involved.
