Personal journals released after President Ford’s death reveal he wanted, more than anything, for his funeral to be a departure from the dull, formal events he slept through himself. “I know that if Chevy Chase carries the front left corner, the entire world will watch the procession every step of the way.”

First Lady Betty Ford smiled: “Thirty years have gone by. Chevy’s the age Jerry was when he made fun of Jerry’s stumbling. Chevy is no way as limber as he used to be. A pratfall could mean hip replacement. I’m excited. This could be a very good show.”

In Baghdad, Saddam Hussein’s casket has been filled with explosives and will be carried into a Shia neighborhood and detonated.