Thirteen receive top civilian honor
Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, June 23, 2004
WASHINGTON – Flanked by a lineup of accomplished scholars, an entertainer, an ophthalmologist and a golfer with his own army of fans, President Bush awarded 13 Presidential Medals of Freedom Wednesday.
The nation’s highest civilian honor went to, among others, “West Side Story” star Rita Moreno, retired professional golfer Arnold Palmer, conservative intellectuals Robert Bartley and Norman Podhoretz, financier Walter Wriston, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Gordon Hinckley, cosmetics entrepreneur Estee Lauder, Pope John Paul II, and entertainer and animal activist Doris Day.
The list ran the gamut of professional and cultural leaders, but was notable – for political hounds, anyway – for a clear pattern.
The award to Lauder, who died April 24, was accepted by her sons.
“This is an example of what an incumbent can do, but what a challenger can only dream of doing. Anybody will accept this gladly, come to the White House and help you send a message to important constituency groups,” said Larry Sabato, professor of politics at the University of Virginia.
No one has expressed concern over the winners’ credentials or accomplishments. (The most publicly expressed doubt was from a winner herself. Day, who did not attend Wednesday’s ceremony, said when she heard she was being awarded the medal her response was “For what?”) But in an election year, few awards, prizes, or proclamations are calculated without some use of electoral math.
During the ceremony, Bush commended Moreno, a Tony-, Oscar- and Emmy-winning performer, for “opening new opportunities for Hispanic artists.”
Candidates in both parties have frequently made an effort to acknowledge the contributions of Hispanics this year. Bush won an estimated 35 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2000, and many experts believe he will have to get at least that level of support to win in November.
Leaders of another sought-after voting bloc – the nation’s churchgoers – were also honored. The pope accepted his award during Bush’s recent visit to the Vatican. Hinckley leads the nation’s Mormons, a political force in several key Western states.
Another recipient was Edward Brooke, the first black man elected by popular vote to the U.S. Senate, where he represented Massachusetts as a Republican from 1967 to 1979. The GOP has long struggled to make inroads with the black electorate.
Associated Press
As actor Rita Moreno reacts, President Bush bestows the Medal of Freedom on Gilbert Grosvenor, chairman of the National Geographic Society. Moreno was also among the 13 recipients Wednesday.
