Too Much Esskissing,

even if some writers and columnists aren't actually doing it.

Here are a pair of articles in today's S.F. Chronicle questioning whether S. can really be compared with Reagan.

Lou Cannon

Vicki Haddock

Well, that depends. Both were lousy actors, both had mediocre intelligence, both were egotistical enough to have the gall to run for governor, both were puppets of more powerful people, both of them tried to court the right, and both were running on style rather than substance. Moreover, both have raunchy/sleazy pasts, with Reagan allegedly having committed rape and S. bragged about participating in a gang bang. And finally, both couldn't talk without scripts to save their lives.

But there is a significant difference. Reagan at least was the product of the voters' will, no matter how stupid the voters might have been to inflict Ronald Reagan on the rest of the world. S., on the other hand, is being used by truly sinister forces in a coup attempt.