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On Politics Richard Borreca |
Hawaii lures presidents
as well as sightseers
They came to rest, to meet, to plan and to praise Hawaii and its politicians. But what's most important is, they came.
CORRECTION
Tuesday, September 30, 2003>> Former President George Bush joked about incorrectly recalling that "Pearl Harbor Day was Sept. 7" and also remembered that he first saw Pearl Harbor while en route to Wake Island in 1944. Both quotes were incorrectly attributed to former President Ronald Reagan in Sunday's "On Politics" column on Page D1.
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Every U.S. president from Franklin Roosevelt to Bill Clinton has come to Hawaii.
We are still waiting to hear from George Bush the younger, who may come late next month after a swing through the Philippines, Thailand and Australia.
Hawaii, hailed by presidents as a bridge, a crossroads and a beacon of brotherhood, also has served as a convenient speck of land to rest and refuel on presidential trips to Asia.
No matter who is the occupant, when Air Force One swoops into Hickam Air Force Base it shows that Hawaii counts and is a place of national consequence.
A trip by the president, however brief, is nothing to take lightly. Richard Nixon stopped in Honolulu on the way to his world-changing trip to China. Gerald Ford detailed a six-point U.S. policy toward Asia in a speech at the East-West Center in 1975.
Ronald Reagan didn't come as president until his second term, but he was here to campaign before his first presidential victory.
In a later speech in Honolulu, Reagan recalled "the first time that I saw Pearl Harbor in the early spring of 1944. Our ship and my squadron were en route to Wake Island and out to the rest of the Pacific."
Reagan, during that 1990 speech, also got in a few jokes.
"Well, you may recall, there was a slight confusion a couple years ago when I said that Pearl Harbor Day was Sept. 7. But now I've put an end to all that confusion -- and I just want to say I'm very happy to be back here at Clark Air Force Base," Reagan kidded the crowd at Hickam.
Clinton made seven trips here during his two terms, and several both before and after his presidency. He came mostly to vacation, play golf with local politicians and also dine. The fare ranged from the Outrigger Club to Zippy's, but Clinton seemed to appreciate it all.
While Clinton took to the golf course and taught partners that the ultimate mulligan was the "billigan," it was the senior Bush who introduced his own "speed golf" to island duffers.
All the presidents brought a respect and honor to Hawaii and an acknowledgment, as Ford said, that "America's Pacific heritage emerged from this remarkable state -- the island star in the American firmament."
Hawaii voted for Nixon in 1972 and Reagan in 1984. The 1960 election between JFK and Nixon nearly came down to Hawaii's three electoral votes, where a statewide ballot recount changed from 141 margin for Nixon to a 117-vote Kennedy win.
Local Republicans have been working for months to arrange a Hawaii visit from President Bush on his way back from the round of meetings in Asia. If a Republican president were to visit Honolulu, it would be when the state is led by a Republican governor.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Richard Borreca writes on politics every Sunday in the Star-Bulletin. He can be reached at 525-8630 or by e-mail at rborreca@starbulletin.com.
