Just over a month ago George W. Bush, our most incompetent president in recent memory became a private citizen. Mr. and Mrs. Bush have moved to their new home in an upscale neighborhood of Dallas. The transition from being the most powerful man on earth to a Texas suburbanite must take some work. I was wondering what George Bush must be up to now that the boxes have been unpacked and he has had time to get familiarized with the new digs (Bush had not seen his new home before moving in). Laura Bush told ABC News that she and her husband are settling in and gradually finding the rhythm of their new life. I believe Mrs Bush when she says that the newspaper is not being delivered on time and that she has had to do little cooking, with friends bringing over food. But I do not believe that she simply forgot to watch President Obama's address to the nation and the joint session of Congress last Tuesday.
After years of having everything they wanted right at their finger tips, the Bushes are finding that sometimes the little things are the most difficult to get.
"The only thing we don't have are the newspapers. It has been slow to get The Dallas Morning News delivered," she said. "People bring the newspaper to us later in the day. It's just not being delivered yet."
Despite the lack of newspaper delivery at their new home, the former first lady said they are keeping up with the news back in the nation's capital but they certainly are not operating on Washington's clock. In fact, Mrs. Bush said she did not watch President Obama's address to Congress on Tuesday night because she "totally forgot about it."
"The next day I thought it was so ironic that for eight years I would be a nervous wreck before the State of the Union, and for days before, as George would be preparing his speech, worried about it and thinking about what was going to be in the speech. And this time it came and went and I didn't even think about it."
Forgot? More likely she deliberately avoided it knowing what a painful contrast it would be to listen to a coherent presidential speech after the eight years of drivel that her clueless husband had dished out. And what has George Bush been doing in retirement? Well, it is reported that he is looking for a "play group" in his new neighborhood of Preston Hollow. [link: Sujatha]
Open house at Pershing Elementary on Wednesday drew a dozen Preston Hollow-area parents to check out the prospects for their children. But the Dallas school's most prominent visitors didn't have any kids in tow. Only Secret Service agents.
George and Laura Bush have been little more than rumors the last few months, fleeting glimpses behind tinted windows of big, black Suburbans. But the kids got a first-hand look Wednesday when their new neighbors took a tour.
The Bushes were scheduled to visit three classes but popped in on any room with an audience.
Ducking in one room, Bush asked, "Hey, kids, do you know who I am?"
Gasps all around, then someone blurted, "George Washington!"
"That's right!" the visitor said. "George Washington Bush!"
Well, the middle initial was the same, anyway.
In a dual-language class, Bush tried to introduce himself in Spanish. But it came off a little too twangy. He tried again. Blank looks. Even held up three fingers. You know, a "W." Still nothing.
Finally, Pershing's energetic principal, Margie Hernandez, stepped in with a proper Spanish introduction.
Ohhhhhhh.
The kids laughed. The former president laughed. The principal laughed, out of relief, mostly.
So much for the ex-president and his wife. At least they can look forward to an idyllic retirement. The disgruntled cadre of right wing followers they have left behind on the other hand, are in the mood for an armed revolution!
My guess is that when the kid said, "George Washington", Bush looked around, got really excited..."Really? Where?!"
"Pershing's energetic principal...stepped in with a proper Spanish introduction...The former president laughed. The principal laughed, out of relief, mostly."
Sadly, the Secret Service then escorted the principal through a side exit. She is now at Guantanamo Bay for "enhanced" questioning.
Posted by: M | February 27, 2009 at 07:17 AM
On the contrary, the principal has been issued a personal invitation from the Obamas to attend the next big Music Bash with Bono and Sheryl Crow at the WH. (Just kidding, of course!)
Posted by: Sujatha | February 27, 2009 at 02:47 PM