Petrelis Files

Bush Has Reason to Laugh Today?

We all probably know by now about Barbara (Mamma Corleone) Bush cracking wise yesterday about the grief and displacement of refugees from Hurricane Katrina now being housed in the Houston Astrodome. In Editor and Publisher's account of her remarks on NPR over the weekend, E&P notes that she chuckled at her own bad humor.

Well, today at a meeting with his Cabinet about relief efforts in the Gulf Coast region, Bush took a few questions, one of which was about who he might nominate to the Supreme Court in the next few days.

As you see in the White House's transcript of the exchange, Bush laughed, not once, but twice at his own goofiness.

No, I'm not shocked the president can find _anything_ to laugh about right now, but what does surprise me is that his press office was kind enough to insert the word "laughter" into the transcript.

While the White House chants now is not the time for finger-pointing, known in most quarters as accountability, it apparently is always the right time for the Bush family to laugh as other Americans suffer greatly.

Note to the White House: Do you really want to call attention to the president having anything to laugh about during these dark times?

^^^

White House Press Office
September 6, 2005

[snip]

Q Are the same ones on the list, sir? Some of the same ones that you interviewed last time, are they --

THE PRESIDENT: The list is wide open, which should create some good speculation here in Washington. (Laughter.) And make sure you notice when I said that I looked right at Al Gonzales, who can really create speculation. (Laughter.)

[snip]

-

September 5, 2005

Editor and Publisher

[snip]

Then she added: "What I’m hearing which is sort of
scary is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is
so overwhelmed by the hospitality.

"And so many of the people in the arena here, you
know, were underprivileged anyway, so this--this (she
chuckles slightly) is working very well for them."

[snip]