Three Lives Changed By Two Bullets

As I read this story about Abu Ali, the American sentenced to 30 years in prison for trying to assassinate George W. Bush and conspiring with al Qaeda, I realized that it’s possible, though not likely, that he could serve a longer jail sentence than John Hinckley, which would be truly odd because no shots were fired in Ali’s case, whereas we all know what Hinckley did 25 years ago today.

One of the mysteries to me was how Hinckley was able to get close enough to Reagan to shoot him and James Brady. It wasn’t like Reagan was getting ready to address a huge crowd of people. He was exiting an office building on his way to the limo, and you would think that only people who had been “vetted” would have been able to get close enough in a situation like that.

For that reason, I think this link has interesting information concerning the link between the Bush and Hinckley families (even including a creepy connection between Hinckley and Mark David Chapman).

Now before I say another word, I should point out that I do not think in any way that there was some deep, dark, mysterious plan concocted by the Bush family to kill Reagan so Poppy could take the reins of power, which he eventually did anyway in 1989. I think the information from WaysandMeans is interesting from a historical perspective and shows what kind of overlapping circles people in power travel in at times, but I think that’s as far as it goes.

I had read that Reagan actually started to go into shock as a result of the attack, which would be understandable, given that he was 70 years old at the time and the bullet barely missed his heart. Despite my many disagreements with him and what his presidency represented and accomplished, I have to give him his due as a towering figure for his time. If anything, his survival from Hinckley’s attack enhanced that reputation at a time when his presidency was sputtering, though it rebounded in part as the recession dissipated. However, it didn’t make some of the Reaganalia in the summer of 2004 (excepting Nancy’s touching moments with his coffin before he was interred) any less sickening.

We know pretty much what happened to Jim Brady as a result of the attack. The man very nearly died and was permanently disabled (indeed, ABC TV news reported that he had died, prompting then-news anchor Frank Reynolds, who hosted the coverage with Peter Jennings and Max Robinson, to scold his staff as he was given conflicting reports about Brady’s condition, saying “Let’s get this right” on the air…and does anyone think that would ever happen now? I ask that question with regret, by the way). Another recollection is Alexander Haig’s famous “I am in charge at this location” line (probably meaning until VP Bush Sr. showed up, though that’s not what he said).

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, by the way, is launching a new campaign to stop the flow of illegal guns today to mark the anniversary, and you can read more about it here.

As for Hinckley, let us hope that he never sees the light of day again. As I mentioned before, I almost don’t have the words to communicate my disgust over the fact that he, Chapman, and Mehmet Ali Agca live, while all three of their victims are now dead.