A peacock...our "self-mocking" president

Out here in the woodsy New England suburbs, the population of wild turkeys is growing. They are remarkable beasts, but whenever they come across a mirror -- say, in a parking lot -- they become transfixed, then peck at it in order to drive the trespasser away.

Then there's the Boy King.

Mr. Nolen said that Mr. Bush greeted Mr. Bridges by opening his arms and asking, "Is this me?" and that the president and the impersonator spent 20 minutes together. Mr. Bridges did his imitation of Mr. Bush and talked about the two and a half hours it takes to apply the makeup he needs to morph into the president.

Jeebus.

Bumiller's somewhat less adulatory than usual mash note is revealing, primarily for what it did not reveal: Steven Colbert's performance at the Correspondents' Dinner.

Mash at dKos says, "Standing at the podium only a few feet from President Bush, Colbert launched an all out assault on the policies of this Administration. It was remarkable, though painful at times, to watch. It may also have been the first time that anyone has been this blunt with this President. By the end of Colbert's routine, Bush was visibly uncomfortable. Colbert ended with a video featuring Helen Thomas repeatedly asking why we invaded Iraq. That is a question President Bush has yet to answer to the American public. I am not sure what kind of review Stephen Colbert's performance will get in the press. One thing is however certain - his performance was important and will reverberate."

It appears Mash's misgivings about press coverage are well-placed. The AP's first stab at it and pieces from Reuters and the Chicago Tribune tell us everything we need to know: Colbert's performance is sidestepped and marginalized while Bush is treated as light-hearted, humble, and funny. Expect nothing less from the cowardly American media. The story could just as well have been Bush and Laura's discomfort and the crowd's semi-hostile reaction to Colbert's razor-sharp barbs. In fact, I would guess that from the perspective of newsworthiness and public interest, Bush-the-playful-president is far less compelling than a comedy sketch gone awry, a pissed-off prez, and a shell-shocked audience.

It's rather bizarre. Wouldn't the fact that the emcee had el cajones to ask, Why Iraq, just feet away from preznit be slightly more newsworthy than the appearance of a Bush impersonator?