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One year ago the nation paid a fond farewell to its 40th president in a week-long tribute filled with pride, pathos and patriotism. Hundreds of thousands of Americans turned out to file past the president lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda and to line the streets of Washington to see his cortege pass.

Millions more spent the week near TV sets to observe the pomp and circumstance attendant a rare state funeral. Crossing the country twice by plane, the body of Ronald Wilson Reagan went from sea to shining sea then back again with near continuous coverage of the events.

Though the advance of Alzheimer's had stolen him from public view for his last ten years of life, his passing seemed as poignant as if he had only just left office. The majority of Americans over the age of thirty--whether or not they agreed with his policies--were moved by his winning personality, while those born later regarded him almost as a father figure. Jack Kemp once called him the last lion of the 20th Century and it seemed the nation concurred.

But the liberal media was once again shocked and taken aback by the huge and sincere outpouring of reverential respect most of America showed their fallen leader. Coverage of his death and funeral created a huge problem for them. For an entire week the press had to bite their collective tongue and restrain their natural predilection to bash Republicans; a talent they had honed so well during Reagan's two terms.

And as they were to learn some months later, most of the country was, unlike them, not repulsed but comforted by the deeply religious nature of the memorial services. In a presage of the current leftist war on faith, the first reading at the funeral service was from the book of the prophet Isaiah:

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

It was shortly after Reagan was lovingly laid to rest on a golden California hillside that the agents of the Lord mounted up in defense of his political heir George W. Bush. The nefarious Christian Right rose up, challenged the Democrats on 'values' issues and delivered the president the most votes in U.S. history.

Even the Catholic Church--whose Pope opposed the Iraq War and capital punishment--weighed into the fray on the side of life and, for the first time since Reagan, the Catholic vote went to a Republican. Not a good sign for liberals who hope to hold long sway over the Latino vote.

Add to the mix the fact that many black religious leaders have been stirred into action against their former bedfellows and the result is a cocktail of pious punch that will be hard to swallow for those on the left.

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