Bye, Bye, Ron

TWO nights ago Ronald Wilson Reagan delivered his farewell address, his opportunity to put his own special stamp on the American agenda for the 1990 s. But Reagan, always one to wax sentimental relied on chauvinistic slogans and wasted the chance to offer the nation his view of how it can improve in the near future.

After warning that we should remain cautious while encouraging the Soviet Union on its path toward becoming a "less threatening" nation, Reagan failed to offer any further suggestions as to how to reduce tensions between the two superpowers. And, though he went on to mention the budget deficit as one of his regrets, he declined to speak further, saying, "I'm going to hold my tongue."

Traditionally, presidents, freed from electoral considerations, have used their farewell addresses to try to steer the nation on a specific course or openly warn it about problems that they see as particularly important. In the first farewell address, George Washington warned the nation not to involve itself in entangling European alliances. Americans took these words so seriously that isolationists cited them decades afterwards.

And, in perhaps the most famous presidential address in recent American history, Dwight D. Eisenhower warned the nation about the military-industrial complex and a Washington sub-government, which he thought was driving the nation toward irreversible damage. With the recent procurement scandals in the Pentagon and the budget deficit, crisis caused in part by defense spending, Eisenhower's warnings still haunt us.

BUT instead of using his presidential experience to offer us a fresh look at the Soviet Union and the budget deficit, the two greatest challenges facing the nation Reagan waxed philosophical about his administration's accomplishments. He called his presidency's greatest achievement the "the resurgence of national pride."

With this blatant appeal to rally around the flag one more time before President-elect Bush takes over, Reagan launched a discussion about what he thought represented the nation's most pressing dilemma: a possible "eradication of the American memory that could result ultimately, in an erosion of the American spirit." And he offered a solution: Americans ought to pay "more attention to American history and [put] a greater emphasis on civic ritual."

Reagan has often relied on such patriotic appeals to try to win over the American people. Judging by his relatively high ratings in public opinion polls and his reputation as the Great Communicator, he remains successful. But if Reagan really thinks he can pass off his unabashed jingoism as substantive and worthy of a presidential farewell speech, he is gravely mistaken.

If we look at Reagan's proposals a little bit closer, we see them for the useless rhetorical exercises they really are. In calling for parents to teach their children an "unambivalent appreciation of America," Reagan suggested today's youth ought to learn more about the American soldiers who bombed Tokyo and stormed the Normandy beaches.

Such sentiments are not completely worthless. They remind us that the freedoms we enjoy--speech, press, religion--have their price. But for Reagan to suggest that children will gain a greater appreciation for America by studying such battlefield triumphs is ludicrous. America is not about aggression and war--it is about values such as liberty equality and democracy.

IN short, America as a nation represents man's attempt to live together peacefully. While we should admire the men who risked their lives so that our nation could survive, we should regret that such events as World War II ever happened and try to learn their lessons, not revel in their glories.

Having made such suggestions in his last chance to address the nation, Reagan showed us that he still lives in a past, a past in which the realities of war made it necessary for America to present a united and undivided front to the rest of the world. But, in case he hasn't noticed, someone ought to tell the President that the battle has been fought and the war has been won.

Now is a time when we face new challenges and dilemmas that urgently need our attention. A farewell address represents a serious opportunity to define the problems and offer solutions. If Reagan realized that he had this opportunity, he gave the American people no sign when he asked them to remain unquestioningly proud of their country. And that's too bad because this lame-duck President won't get another chance.