[SpaceMonkey]

Bush tours town wiped away by tornado:

Bush had already ordered emergency aid for the people, business and governments in the Greensburg area. His trip was about delivering something else -- presidential empathy.

The White House has sought a much more aggressive and engaged reaction to disasters since Hurricane Katrina, when a bungled response became a turning point in Bush's presidency.

''The response to this particular case was absolutely phenomenal,'' declared R. David Paulison, the Federal Emergency Management Agency director, en route to Kansas with Bush.

At one point, Bush stopped at a tractor dealership, the building gutted and its plows mangled. It had been a major employer in town, and the president freely dished out hugs.

The article mentions earlier that the town's population is only 1,600. It strikes me, then, that a "phenomenal" emergency response is a much simpler matter than anything related to Hurricane Katrina. The article also repeatedly mentions Bush "freely" or "generously" giving people hugs, as if it is some great honor or directly linked to the "phenomenal" response.

Or is he actually that silly?

[Helmling]

Yeah, I'm thinking it's just not that hard to do.

[peeb]

It's difficult to hide the fact that he's an idiot. The mainstream press has been doing a pretty good job the last few years, but it's unraveling.

[osiris]

The whole thing is silly. Bush can help anyone he wants to - just as long as they're God fearing white people.
So if that makes him an idiot, then so be it.

[Chuckit]

Well, that is what he was doing, isn't it?

[osiris]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

Well, that is what he was doing, isn't it?

Then it is true!

[Atomic Rooster]

Replace references to Bush with Jesus and it gets pretty eerie.

[TheWOAT]

Originally Posted by Atomic Rooster 

Replace references to Bush with Jesus and it gets pretty eerie.

Also add "in bed" to the end of each sentence.

[ebuddy]

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey 

The article also repeatedly mentions Bush "freely" or "generously" giving people hugs, as if it is some great honor or directly linked to the "phenomenal" response.

Or is he actually that silly?

He's consoling folks that live in a town that's been wiped off the map. Why is this silly? Had it been New Orleans, the tractor shop would've been fully looted and empty by now and others would be hiding behind rubble firing at the help.

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by ebuddy 

He's consoling folks that live in a town that's been wiped off the map. Why is this silly? Had it been New Orleans, the tractor shop would've been fully looted and empty by now and others would be hiding behind rubble firing at the help.

I thought that the way the article was constructed made it appear silly. The FEMA director hailed the federal response, and the prime example appears to be Bush giving hugs, freely and generously.

Another gem:

The president ambled down the road to a house with no roof, almost slipping as he picked his way across a chunk of metal on the lawn. He briefly grabbed a chain saw, ripping it into action for the cameras and other media that accompanied him.

''How are you all?'' Bush asked as he moved among residents. ''Stylish looking hat,'' he joked to a man in a green fedora.

[tie]

Bush is incompetent in dealing with domestic emergencies. This is about the largest scale emergency he can handle. But good for him for trying to get better -- for inspiring the local population with his mere presence, if nothing else.