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Cult of the 'W'; beer and skittles show rolls on.....

On the Road, Bush Fields Softballs From the Faithful (Bumiller - NYTimes)

Washington

His father loved them, Richard Nixon started them and President Bush has turned them into the near-daily warm bath of his re-election campaign.

Last week alone, in Virginia, Florida, New Mexico and Oregon, Mr. Bush had four "Ask President Bush'' question-and-answer sessions with rapt Republican audiences. The week before he had one in Columbus, Ohio, and this week he has one scheduled for St. Croix, Wis.

[...]

"I'm 60 years old and I've voted Republican from the very first time I could vote. And I also want to say this is the very first time that I have felt that God was in the White House.''

"Thank you,'' Mr. Bush replied, to applause.

Bush campaign officials tell reporters at every "Ask President Bush'' forum that the questions are not planted and that the sessions are spontaneous. Senator John Kerry's campaign officials say the events are too ridiculous to be believed.

Whatever the case, Bush campaign officials readily say that they carefully screen the crowds by distributing tickets through campaign volunteers. "Our supporters hand them out to other supporters and people who may be undecided,'' said Scott Stanzel, a campaign spokesman.

The result is often a love-in with heavily Christian crowds. Mr. Bush relaxes, shows off his humor and appears more human than in his sometimes tongue-tied and tense encounters with the press. He clearly relishes the sessions: As of this coming Wednesday in Wisconsin, Mr. Bush will have had 12 such campaign forums, which is one less than the number of solo news conferences he has had in three and a half years in the White House.

Of course, reporters write that the events are canned, but campaign officials care only about the lively snippets of Mr. Bush that get on the local news.

[...]

"Mr. President, as a child, how can I help you get votes?'' a youngster asked at the "Ask President Bush'' event in Oregon on Friday.

"Thank you,'' the president responded. "That is the kind of question I like to hear.''

Every stormtrooper present swore a personal oath of loyalty to Hitler. The party leader received a rapturous reception from delegates after his speech. "Deep and mystical. Almost like a gospel...I thank fate, that it gave us this man,' wrote Goebbels. [Ian Kershaw, Hitler: Hubris page 279]

Journalists might be permitted to see him [Hitler] for a few minutes, if an interview had been prearranged. [Kershaw, Hitler: Hubris page 279]

Welcome to Niceville - Arrive Rhapsodic

Three thousand Florida schoolchildren were instructed to stand along the president's route wearing red, white and blue clothes.

At the "Ask President Bush" event in the appropriately named Florida town of Niceville, a woman told him, "I know that you have a heart for our children." A teenager topped her by opening, "O.K., first of all, I want to say that I love you." ~ The Value of Rituals (Tierney - NYTimes - August 15, 2004

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