The Bush Mandate

Some recent commentary compiled by Daniel Kurtzman:

• "Jeff Gannon ... He is a White House correspondent who has been lobbing softball questions at the president and his press secretary, turns out he is actually a paid escort for wealthy homosexuals. ... He actually had two jobs -- one obviously was sleazy and shameful and the other was a gay male prostitute. ... I think I know what Bush meant now when he said he has a mandate." --Bill Maher
• "Bush says the idea that the U.S. is going to be attacking Iran is ridiculous and you know what that means? We will be attacking Iran." --David Letterman
• "Right now President Bush is in Europe, he's in Germany, and he stopped in Frankfurt and he got off the plane and he electrified the crowd with 'Ich Bin ein frankfurter.'" --David Letterman
• "Bush said he would never answer (the marijuana) question because he wants to set a good example for kids. He doesn't ever want them to say 'Hey Daddy, President Bush tried marijuana, so I will.' So now instead when parents say 'Son, you been smoking dope?' they can say 'Hey Daddy, President Bush didn't answer that question and I'm not going to answer it either.'" —Jay Leno, on the emergence of secretly recorded tapes in which Bush admitted to marijuana use
• "It seems a friend of the Bush family, Doug Wead -- I think he's Linda Tripp's first husband if I'm not mistaken -- secretly taped a number of conservations. Bush admitted as a young man he smoked marijuana but he quit when it interfered with his drinking. ... Although he acknowledged trying marijuana, no one has come forward to verify they've actually seen him do marijuana, so it's like the National Guard thing all over again." --Jay Leno
• "Earlier tonight it was President Bush's State of the Union address and it is always exciting to be there. I don't care what you think, if you are Democrat or Republican it is always an exciting event. President Bush was interrupted forty times by applause and twice to look up a word in the dictionary." --David Letterman
• "Finally, the moment we've all been waiting for –- the official halfway point of the Bush presidency." President Bush: "I George Walker Bush do solemnly swear…" Stewart: "At which point 49 percent of the country also solemnly swore."
• "President Bush has been working on his inauguration, not the actual speech but the word inaugural." --Jay Leno