THE SERVICE

Elegantly, simply done, I thought. Thatcher’s eulogy was the finest – and most interesting. The sheer beauty of the honor guard’s ritual took my breath away: this, I thought, really is a civil religion. Bush’s eulogy was good, but not quite as good as I’d hoped for. Maybe it’s because Reagan’s rhetorical skills were so fine that everyone else comes up short. Mulroney was a bit of a bore, but every funeral should have one. And tell me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t Bill Clinton asleep while W was speaking? Or at least with his eyes closed?