No matter what you think of "Reagan: The Man," "Reagan: The Funeral" should be a fascinating nugget of history in the making. Major traffic arteries in Washington will be closed beginning at about 3pm today to make way for a funeral procession steeped in tradition.

Yes, Washingtonians will complain over the next few days because they won't be able to go anywhere without encountering security checkpoints and road blocks. Then again, many federal and city workers within the vicinity of downtown have been granted "liberal leave" this afternoon, meaning that they can use the Reagan funeral as an excuse to ditch out of work early without using their vacation time. On Friday, government workers, financial workers, and companies that follow the government schedule (most all in Washington) will have the day off.

We've really got it good in this city of ceremony.

It's hardly a good day for a funeral procession, as temperatures are going to be in the 90s today. But, for those who are interested in checking out the spectacle, here's the timetable for the next few days.

Also interesting is the list of foreign dignitaries that are scheduled to be in Washington for the ceremony in the National Cathedral. Thatcher, Blair, and Prince Charles will be there. Canada's PM Paul Martin will not. Gorbachev will, Putin won't. Gerhard Schroeder and Silvio Berlusconi will be there, but Jacques Chirac will not. Sadly, the most prominent victim of 80s excess, Imelda Marcos, has been barred from attending because she couldn't prove she actually got an invitation from the Reagan family. Hearing names like Thatcher, Gorbachev, and Imelda, you might begin to wonder if JR and cast of Dallas are going to show up.