Sneed: Campaign doesn’t keep Hillary from Nancy’s funeral

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Goodbye to Nancy . . .

Going. Going. Gone.

Dem presidential contender Hillary Clinton, who was faster than a speeding bullet en route to Vernon Hills on a last-minute campaign stop Thursday evening, was in a rush to attend former first lady Nancy Reagan’s funeral in California.

“She had great respect for Mrs. Reagan,” a Hillary source said.

“They operated differently as their husbands’ advisers, but they also had very different husbands.”

• Backstory: Hillary, a Park Ridge native, will be joining three other former first ladies — Rosalynn Carter, Barbara Bush and Laura Bush — at the ceremony in Simi Valley, California, the site of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Calling herself “the child of Chicago,” Hillary Clinton arrived at 9 p.m. and spoke until 9:38. She never mentioned Donald Trump’s name but alluded to him at the end of her speech: “In the last weeks I have been hearing from leaders I know all over the world, ‘What is happening?’ Let’s hope we come to our senses! I will work my heart out for you.”

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Tee hee . . .

Yipes! Also attending Nancy Reagan’s funeral will be the legendary Mr. T, a Chicago native whose “A-Team” action figure wound up under my son’s Christmas tree back in the 1980s when the Chicago actor was a TV sensation.

• Tee spree: Mr. T, known as Lawrence Tureaud when he served in the Illinois National Guard, claims he became close to Mrs. Reagan when she invited him to the White House in 1983 to participate in the “Just Say No” anti-drug program — and once posed with her sitting on his lap in a campaign promotion ad.

• Tee Tree: “She [Nancy] was very special to me,” tweeted Mr. T, who once had the Lake Forest swells in a swivet when he cut down over 100 Oak trees on his 7-acre estate in 1987 to open up his Lake Michigan mansion window view. Mr. T’s actions were referred to as “The Lake Forest Chain Saw Massacre.”

Holy Grabowski?

Question: Now that Donald Trump and legendary Bears bulldog Mike “Grabowski” Ditka have pitched woo and coo at each other in the tough guy hero department, will the duo finally meet when the Trumpster hits town Friday night?

“Mr. Trump has a very tight schedule and we are not yet aware of any meetings with Mike Ditka,” a Sneed source said.

The police blotter . . .

Pencils poised!

A little birdie tells Sneed former Police Supt. Garry McCarthy, who has been rather mum since his abrupt dismissal by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, will be attending the Annual Irish Fellowship Dinner Friday night at the Hilton Chicago.

• Backshot: McCarthy got a standing round when he attended the Irish Fellowship Christmas Luncheon in December.

Hail, Anita!

Hmmm. Is the big hand for Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez at a recent 11th ward event — the bastion of Daleydom — a political barometer?

• To wit: A top Sneed source claims Alvarez, who is in the fight of her political life since the furor over the release of the Laquan McDonald police shooting tape, got the biggest round of applause at the annual 11th ward spring fundraiser attended by Dem primary candidates at the Zhou B. Art Center.

“It was a pretty good crowd and the applause for Anita was huge,” the source said.

“Former White House chief of staff Bill Daley and Cook County Board Commissioner John Daley were there,” the source added.

“Even Mayor Emanuel, who was not expected to attend, showed up, mixed with the hoi polloi, and came in a close second in the clapping department.”

• The kicker: Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, the powerhouse Dem femme who is supporting Anita’s opponent, Kim Foxx, reportedly sniffed the political air — and left early. Natch.

Gaga the great . . .

Lady Gaga’s splash into the freezing waters of Lake Michigan recently for Special Olympics netted this behind-the-scenes Gaga thoughtfulness.

• To wit: Sneed is told the world-class singer politely declined an invite to sing the national anthem at the event — so Special Olympics World Games Bronze Medal winner Antonio Williams from Loyola Park could have the spotlight.

Nice.

Sneedlings . . .

Today’s birthdays: Terrence Howard, 47; Greg Olsen, 31, and Anthony Davis, 23.

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