These photographs of W dancing in the Rose Garden with his Senegalese guests drew cries of disgust, alarm, and cruel mockery from Wonkette (well, natch) and Shakesville (where the photos are posted), but to me, they show what is best and most endearing about W. I look at them and I think, "If only..."
Suppose his comparatively articulate brother, former Florida governor Jeb, had become president instead of W----which you KNOW is what everyone really secretly expected. Suppose Gore had been defeated in 2000 (okay; sorry) Suppose Jeb had won in 2000. Free of Rove, Rumsfeld, and Cheney, wouldn't W have been the amiable, wise-cracking, Senegalese-dancing Billy-Carter-like sibling to Jeb's more earnest Jimmy? And wouldn't we all have secretly enjoyed his deadpan jokes, garbled utterances, and frat-boy reputation?
God---or rather "Chang" or "Chiang"---only knows what Jeb would have done differently if he'd had a go first, but whatever, it could hardly have been worse. So then mightn't W been the comic relief? And we'd all have said, "If only it had been W instead of Jeb, things would be very different now! W's a uniter, not a divider or decider, you know!"
These are idle dreams, of course. Except for the part about Jeb having a go first. That could still happen, people. Be afraid.
I couldn't find the Senegal thing at YouTube, but I found this footage from Brazil. Maybe someone will upload the Senegal one.
Ready for your mood swing? Let's glide gently downward into melancholy, as we listen to Laura Bush's description of the white man's burden.
Laura Bush would have you know: No one suffers more over the loss of life in Iraq than W. You can see the videotape and read some trenchant commentary at Americablog. Laura B. talks about "the burden of worry" on Bush's shoulders. He suffers all the time, even as he dances in the Rose Garden! And Laura suffers too! For additional commentary, check out Gun Toting Liberal: "Laura Bush Takes the Biscuit."
I ain't young enough to get all worked up about this piece of hyperbole, but the above-linked blog is suitably trenchant. (Not that the Junior League Republican wives who were watching and nodding along are reading any of it, but it's good we Dems have a place to get this stuff off our chests).
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