The Compassionate Bean Counter

With Iraq now appropriately finessed, GWB has been busy covering his flank on the economy.  (If you hadn’t noticed, the phrase “go shopping” has finally been replaced in Junior’s cue card stack by the term “give back.”)

So how/why did Bush end up getting photographed like a spokesman for beans at the food bank during his all-too-clever pre-Turkey Day road show? (Here are slides.) Well, being the formulaic people they are, the thinking at the White House follows some well-worn trajectories.  One (especially since Katrina) is: never make Prez look like he’s out-of-touch with the common folk.  Another has been: never repeat any of Poppy Bush’s mistakes.

As such, we have something of a three-fer here.

First, we have still another example of the Comforter-In-Chief in action.  This time, blocking the word “hungry” with his cranium (you can take this further if you wish), he keeps everybody loose with the salesman act so they won’t suffer as much from the hung-er pains.  Second, we get a wonderful expression of budget-minded consumer-empathy just as the economy is starting to tank. (“Let’s talk about the tax breaks later”;  “Hey, pass me a couple more pork-busting veto pens”; and, “Whatever you do, keep me away from that newfangled supermarket technology!”)  …And finally, we get a cute little reminder how Bush believes just about everything in the world must have his name on it.

By the way, thanks to Southern Oregon University Communications professor and “Big Picture” guy, Dennis Dunleavy, who turned me on to this pic.

(image: Jason Reed.  Richmond, Virginia, November 19, 2007.  via YahooNews.  caption: U.S. President George W. Bush holds a can of Bush’s Best Baked Beans during his visit to the Central Virginia Foodbank… Bush travelled to Virginia for events prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. )