Political Calculation - is it funny?

So, the news is all atwitter about how funny Laura Bush is. I mean, gosh, she was funny, and she made fun of the man, just like all of us do when we get together doing the chick gabfest thing. Wow, like, she's so one of us!

NOT.

Few places are reporting the obvious truth in this. This was a staged event. Laura Bush has never watched 'Desperate Housewives' (for this I give her lots of marks because I have never seen it either and it sounds like crap; I read the first 2 of the plot rehashes on the website & could feel my brain being sucked out by the stupidity).

The jokes were all written for her by "Landon Parvin, a longtime Washington speechwriter who does jokes for Mr. Bush.......Mr. Parvin sat down with the first lady some weeks ago to work out ideas. He then wrote a script and helped Mrs. Bush with her timing and delivery over several days of rehearsals, including one run-through shortly before the dinner."

The objective of this exercise was to shore up the sagging polls, to humanize the presidency, to say 'see, we're just like you.' Political, cold calculation to make you emotionally engaged.

The only funny part was that the jokes she told were in horrible taste. She painted a picture of a stupid, lazy, aggressive man. That's supposed to endear him to us?

Full story from the New York Times.

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Can't blog about Canadian politics because I can't keep track of Canadian politics. Nobody can. Everyone is running around Parliament trying to get things to add up to 155. MP's are being hauled back from VE day celebrations in Europe, sick MP's undergoing cancer treatment are no doubt feeling the pressure to just get better please, and everyone is stalking the 3 independents. Here you all thought it didn't matter who you voted for really; but the fate of the nation will be in the hands of those 3 independent MP's.