HUMILITY AND GRACE

I think Harry Taylor showed a lot of it in his exchange with President Bush last Thursday.

HARRY TAYLOR: You never stop talking about freedom, and I appreciate that. But while I listen to you talk about freedom, I see you assert your right to tap my telephone, to arrest me and hold me without charges, to try to preclude me from breathing clean air and drinking clean water and eating safe food. If I were a woman, you’d like to restrict my opportunity to make a choice and decision about whether I can abort a pregnancy on my own behalf. You are –

THE PRESIDENT: I’m not your favorite guy. Go ahead. (Laughter and applause.) Go on, what’s your question?

HARRY TAYLOR: Okay, I don’t have a question. What I wanted to say to you is that I — in my lifetime, I have never felt more ashamed of, nor more frightened by my leadership in Washington, including the presidency, by the Senate, and –

AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: No, wait a sec — let him speak.

HARRY TAYLOR: And I would hope — I feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration, and I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and the grace to be ashamed of yourself inside yourself. And I also want to say I really appreciate the courtesy of allowing me to speak what I’m saying to you right now. That is part of what this country is about.

THE PRESIDENT: It is, yes. (Applause.)

Read on as Taylor's comments bounce like so many overripe bananas off of the President's shield of truthiness.

I enjoyed this picture from the White House website, taken at that same town hall meeting. I'm usually against Presidents singing in public, but I hear he wasn't half bad.

Also, I never realized how tall the President is. He's huge! With the twinkly lights behind him, the happy people at his feet, and his grand, munificent gesture, he's like our new Walt Disney, welcoming us into his Land of Make-Believe. Or our President Wonka, inviting one and all to experience his wondrous, magical factory. Only in this factory they don't make candy and chocolate and sweeties, they make baloney. Just baloney.