George W. Bush: Poet Laureate

Jac de Molay · October 4, 2003, 09:23

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/....ap/index.html

Quote:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Laura Bush says her husband is a poet even if, uh, Americans don't know it.

At a gala Friday night kicking off this weekend's third National Book Festival, Mrs. Bush celebrated the written word in an age of visual media, thanking American authors for their "tales of mystery, history and heroism."

"A good book is like an unreachable itch; you just can't leave it alone," she said at the Library of Congress, repository of 126 million books, recordings, photographs, maps, manuscripts and more.

She revealed that President Bush had penned a poem for her when she got back from a five-day solo trip to Europe, where she attended a book festival in Moscow and visited France -- getting two kisses on the hand from French President Jacques Chirac.

"President Bush is a great leader and a husband, but I bet you didn't know he is also quite the poet," she said. "Upon returning home last night from my long trip I found a lovely poem waiting there for me."

As her husband watched quietly, she recited it.

"Roses are red/Violets are blue/Oh my, lump in the bed/How I've missed you."

Bush sometimes refers to his wife as a lump in the bed.

Mrs. Bush went on:

"Roses are redder/Bluer am I/Seeing you kissed by that charming French guy."

And then the finale:

"The dogs and the cat, they missed you too/Barney's still mad you dropped him, he ate your shoe/The distance, my dear, has been such a barrier/Next time you want an adventure, just land on a carrier."

Barney the dog had a tumble when Mrs. Bush was handing him to her husband on a tarmac.

James H. Billington, the librarian of Congress, called Mrs. Bush "first reader of our land" for her work on behalf of literacy and reading. The first lady is a former librarian and teacher, and the book festival is modeled after those she started in Texas when her husband was governor.

"Stories beckon us to toss all the cares in the world -- work, even sleep -- to read and discover," she said.

Novelist Tom Clancy, Cherokee storyteller Gayle Ross, nonfiction author and novelist Stephen L. Carter, CBS newsman Bob Schieffer and actress Julie Andrews, who writes children's books, joined Mrs. Bush in launching the festival.

Somebody wake me from this living nightmare.

If this isn't undeniable proof the man is a complete tool......

General Ludd · October 4, 2003, 09:29

An instant classic.

DaShi · October 4, 2003, 09:57

Insightful.

Jac de Molay · October 4, 2003, 10:12

You would think the leader of the free world, with an Ivy-League education, would have a literary sense beyond that of the average retarded primate. Roses are red??

I'm sorry, but the man is DIM. And it's even scarier that he is supposedly at the controls. No small wonder this country is being run into the ground

.

DaShi · October 4, 2003, 10:30

I loved it! I might just vote for him after all now.

Urban Ranger · October 4, 2003, 10:33

What did he do at Yale?

alva · October 4, 2003, 10:36

Brilliant

DaShi · October 4, 2003, 10:38

Quote:

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
What did he do at Yale?

He certainly didn't take a ****ing poetry class.

From what I've gathered he mostly just followed around older students.

Drake Tungsten · October 4, 2003, 10:46

I'd be more concerned if he had written a good poem. I don't want some intellectual ***** running the best damn country on God's green Earth.

Jac de Molay · October 4, 2003, 12:36

So you consider someone who cannot even string words together in coherent fashion an effective leader with a firm grasp on complex economic and foreign policy issues?

And don't even get me started on the "lump in my bed" bit

.

Zkribbler · October 4, 2003, 13:01

I always figured Dubya was a "There was a young man from Kent" kind of poet.

monolith94 · October 4, 2003, 13:13

That poem has to be one of the singlest worst poems I have EVER reads in my entire life. I am NOT exaggerating.

Sandman · October 4, 2003, 13:13

George Bush puts the dumb in freedom.

On a more serious note, it's profoundly disturbing that some Americans seem to think that utter, cloying stupidity is a good characteristic for a leader.

Menlas · October 4, 2003, 13:14

It's priceless

mrmitchell · October 4, 2003, 13:40

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Insert a reference to Mr Bush's
homosexuality here

MrFun · October 4, 2003, 14:04

Quote:

Originally posted by mrmitchell
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Insert a reference to Mr Bush's
homosexuality here

But you have Rumsfeld in your avatar, not Bush.

General Ludd · October 4, 2003, 14:06

Quote:

Originally posted by Sandman
it's profoundly disturbing that some Americans seem to think that utter, cloying stupidity is a good characteristic for a leader.

It's important to have a leader that can represent the population, isn't it?

MrFun · October 4, 2003, 14:08

Quote:

Originally posted by Osweld

It's important to have a leader that can represent the population, isn't it?

DanielXY · October 4, 2003, 14:13

Why should Bush give a damn if anyone of you like his poem? Doesnt seem as if he wanted to win a prize for it. He wrote it for his wife. She likes it. Perfect

General Ludd · October 4, 2003, 14:16

Quote:

Originally posted by DanielXY
He wrote it for his wife. She likes it.

I don't think she would read it publicly if she liked it.

It was a spiteful 'poem' and she read it out of spite in return. If I'm any judge, anyways...

Giant_Squid · October 4, 2003, 14:26

To be fair, he wasn't submitting that to any poetry journals or anything. Proly just a cute joke of some sort at the end of his letter, although I suppose if he writes the way he speaks adding an extra joke would be unnnecessary.

Wernazuma III · October 5, 2003, 05:24

A classic! The world lost an artist in George W. Bush.
I just can't think of any sound reason why Mrs. Bush would ridicule her husband like this. She MUST have known that it's embarassing. If not, it's frightening to think about what kind of literature she wants people to read in her function as "first reader of the nation"...

Kropotkin · October 5, 2003, 05:27

Too bad the nobel prize for literature has already been announced...

DanS · October 5, 2003, 06:06

The Great Leader has written 13,569 poems that have been lauded throughout the land as the best the people have ever seen! He has personally overseen the education of all poets in the US, visiting 2,569 schools around the country and giving personal tips to poets!

Pekka · October 5, 2003, 06:15

Well I have to admit that the poet itself was pretty horrible, but I guess it was personal so it doesn't matter and he didn't try to make the poet of the century anyway. But then again I wonder why she read that outloud to the media, if it was personal.

SKILORD · October 5, 2003, 06:20

Well..... damn.

No Comment.

Rufus T. Firefly · October 5, 2003, 06:50

Fricking hilarious, and deeply sad. But no match for the awesome, real-life poetry of Donald Rumsfeld,
as documented here.

One sample:

Quote:

Clarity
I think what you'll find,
I think what you'll find is,
Whatever it is we do substantively,
There will be near-perfect clarity
As to what it is.

And it will be known,
And it will be known to the Congress,
And it will be known to you,
Probably before we decide it,
But it will be known.

—Feb. 28, 2003, Department of Defense briefing

uh Clem · October 5, 2003, 06:59

Bush's poem certainly has the ring of authenticity.

But what's this Historical Revisionism?

Quote:

Barney's still mad you dropped him

Is Captain Flightsuit trying to shift the blame?

Drake Tungsten · October 5, 2003, 07:08

Quote:

and deeply sad

Jesus, don't you think you're overreacting a bit?

Rufus T. Firefly · October 5, 2003, 07:21

Quote:

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten

Quote:

and deeply sad

Jesus, don't you think you're overreacting a bit?

No. I'm deeply saddened that our president, the leader of the free world and the product of our best schools, is writing the kind of things most of us wrote on Valentine's cards when we were 12. I don't expect him do be a poet, but having a way with words is one sign of intelligence -- one more than our Potato in Chief exhibits.