European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 20, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Spoofing the �?T80s Paul Slansky by John Horn associated press bombs Are exploding in Beirut marines Are dying and americans Are worried. White House spokesman Larry Speakes is asked if president Reagan has read a House report on the latest attack in Lebanon. Quot i Don t think he s read the report in detail Quot Speakes says. Quot it s 51/2 pages  for Paul Slansky author of the clothes have no emperor a chronicle of the american 80s, that 1984 glimpse of the free worlds Leader said it All. Quot and then three weeks later Reagan says that he reads every comic strip in the newspaper Quot Slansky said. Quot that to me is  almost everything the great communicator said or did seemed brainless to Slansky. Most ignored Reagan s gaffes misstatements and blemishes. Slansky seized upon every one of them packing 10 filing Cabinet drawers with newspaper and Magazine clips documenting a decade the author describes As Quot wallowing in  the clothes have no emperor fireside books $12.95the resulting Book is a digest of dirt a chronological collection of items documenting american cultures lowest moments. In 1981, Reagan failed to recognize his Only Black Cabinet member housing Secretary Samuel Pierce at a White House reception. Quot How Are you or. Mayor Quot Reagan asked Pierce. Quot in a glad to meet you. How Are things in your City Quot vice president Bush touring an Auschwitz death Camp in 1987, said Quot boy they were big on crematoriums weren to they Quot in 1988, vice president Dan Quayle takes his turn with the holocaust calling it Quot an obscene period in our nation s  correcting himself he says Quot in this Century s history Quot is what he meant. Quot we All lived in this Century Quot he says adding Quot i did t live in this  it s not that Slansky picks Only on republicans. His victims also include such democrats As sex presidential candidate Michael Dukakis Quot an arrogant Little fool Quot and sen. Joe Biden of Delaware and a Range of celebrities. A satirical is just a word applied to it Quot said Slansky a contributor to Esquire spy Village voice and the new Republic. A fall i m basically doing is chronicling what people say. It s just the truth that s All. A this Book is not irreverent. This Book is contemptuous. It happens to be funny but it is very serious. A history Book of the 80s. This Book should be a textbook it should be taught in journalism courses. This is a serious piece of work that has a goofy  the cover sporting silly pictures of a broken nosed Geraldo Rivera Gary Hart with Donna Rice and or. T in the Lap of Nancy Reagan belies an admittedly unforgiving obsessive account of almost every presidential misstep. On Page 232, Slansky recalls Reagan s visit to notre Dame where he presides Over the unveiling of a Knute Rockne stamp. Clubbing the one line he a probably used More than any other Reagan says Quot win just one for the  Gipper was the nickname of football Star George Gipp who Reagan portrayed in Knute Rockne All american. A this Book is not written for anybody who voted for Reagan and liked Reagan Quot Slansky said. Quot they d be foolish to buy this Book. This was written for everybody who for the last eight years was made to feel like they were freaks of culture by the Media Quot Nixon was hilarious. He was the Best show there was. He had this need to self destruct in Public. What better theater can you get than that Quot Reagan was much less funny for me. I can to stand his ignorance a the author Paul Slansky chronicles former president Ronald reganus lowest moments in his recent Book. Fake Ness of it. There Wasny to a moment in eight years when i thought he was amusing. Not Only was he an actor but also to me such a Lousy  Mark Weinberg a spokesman for the former president declined to comment on Slansky a depiction of Reagan As an incompetent. Quot we done to comment on other Peoples books Quot Weinberg said. Said Slansky Quot this was t an Era that was totally enamoured of excellence. This is a country that was wallowing in mediocrity for years a and Here was the Guy who completely reflected us just As we reflected him. And when i say a we a i sure Don t mean  were there times when he considered Reagan too easy a target Quot no. Because nobody else was shooting at him. Quayle could be considered too easy a target. But i am after Dan Quayle. He is my enemy in Public life right now. He is the stupidest Man i be Ever seen there and i Don t want a stupid Man like that running the country. I was raised to think that intelligence mattered. Quot Reagan did whatever they said. Here s one of my favorite quotes from the administration. One of his aides said if we told Reagan to walk outside turn around three times pick up an Acorn and throw it out to the crowd wed be Lucky to get a question from him asking Why Quot he just was t there Quot Slansky said. Quot i think he was emblematic of the 80s a totally style Over substance. Here was the empties suit we Ever  Quot the clothes have no emperor Quot should be available in stars and stripes bookstores in May stars and stripes bookstores stars and stripes bookstores another super discount title in our professional military literature program it h it Jagt it makers of modern strategy from Machiavelli to the nuclear age reinterprets and illuminates c7 War one of the most powerful forces in history and one that cannot be controlled in the future Cut without an understanding of its past. 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