Victor and I were talking about that just today -- on a different topic. I think GWB doesn't have the "I feel your pain" gene, or not much of one, and he doesn't want to come across as not-as-good-as-Bill-Clinton, so he avoids "feel your pain" situations.

I was watching him on the news today and wondering if he ever speaks without prepared speeches. I was never a big fan of Clinton but he knew how to be heartfelt and human when it was needed.

Sue,

my mother saw when GWB met Pope JPII and GWB couldn't speak from the heart AT ALL when he met JPII. You'd think a world leader would be able to say, "It is such a pleasure to meet you. Blah Blah." But GWB could even give a two sentence set of platitudes without reading it.

There was a Newsweek article a couple weeks ago about how Bush had met with lots of families of soldiers killed in Iraq, and how compassionate and empathetic he had been.

I think it's likely that he's better one on one than in front of the cameras. It goes along with the way he raised all those zillions of dollars in small rooms before he even started running for president.

What, she tourists into a disaster area to gawk and take pictures of people who just lost everything and then has the balls to talk about class?

You know, I really liked living in Philadelphia and everything, but I swear to god that city has the highest proportion of people with no class that I've ever seen. Like that woman.

I continue to be able to comprehend what's going on down there in the gulf.

Well, it does beat a hammer. As does a knife. But if you're worried about handling weapons in general, go with something less intrinsically effective (and therefore potentially dangerous to your untrained self).

But I'm in my kitchen, right? The knives are closer.....

In shallow news, I just saw a promo for "How I Met Your Mother" billing AH as "American Pie's Alyson Hannigan." Hmph.

Congrats, Stephanie!! You ROCK.

Well, I just made my big-for-me tiny-in-terms-of-the-need Red Cross contribution to appease my... you know, I'm not sure what it is. It's like, gobsmackedness at what's going on down there. 30,000 people living in a stadium? Unreal! So I threw money at it.

Er, and also I found out today I got a 92 out of 100 on the math section of the MTEL, so that's one more step toward teacher licensure checked off the list.

In shallow news, I just saw a promo for "How I Met Your Mother" billing AH as "American Pie's Alyson Hannigan." Hmph.

The ads for that make me think they are totally trying to be Coupling .

Oh, also, Kenneth Cole was our orientation dinner speaker tonight, and he's totally my new boyfriend. FYI.

But I'm in my kitchen, right? The knives are closer.....

You've evacuated, silly, and are looting.

The ads for that make me think they are totally trying to be Coupling .

Oh, good luck with that.

You've evacuated, silly, and are looting.

Oh, never mind, then.

As many as 30,000 people were being housed in the Louisiana Superdome, where toilets were overflowing and there was no air conditioning to provide relief from 90-degree heat.

I don't think it is 60K yet.