Of course that may not be the intelligence necessary for the White House. But please drop the Bush is Stupid argument. It was over a long time ago.

The problem with this "argument" is that it isn't one. Yet Bush's opponents continue to use it as though it were. Just as Dole supporters eight years ago used "He's not Clinton" as though it were an argument.

And we know what happened there.

That's just it -- Bush has a "just one of the guys" appeal to him, hence the verdict that he'd be more sociable in a bar. Voters can relate easily. He's uncomfortable when he's dressed up, trying to make a speech. That's when his advisors are working on his image.

Bush is almost a wholly manufactured image. All hat, no cattle is the frequently used phrase. From the stage dressing of his Crawford ranch to the exquisitely stage managed photo-ops & now these pre-scripted "Meet Bush" farces. Yeah, I'd feel pretty well at ease too if I knew the answers to all the questions in advance & also knew there'd be no criticism or hardball questions coming my way. Yep, pretty comfortable indeed....

I never got the whole "guy you'd like to have a beer with" thing. He's the damn president, for god's sake! He's got more important things to do than have a beer with Joe Schmoe. To paraphrase Plato, if you have something physically wrong with you, would you go to a qualified doctor, or a personable quack? For your triple by-pass, do you want the guy who finished head of his class, or do you want the party doc who you'd like to drink with?

A leader is entrusted with the health & welfare of an entire nation & quite frankly, under the care of party doc Bush, the patient is sinking fast.