Topic: Humor
George W. Bush, American poet? A look at the controversy behind the authorship of "Dear Laura,".by George Dance
(libertarian)
Sunday, January 18, 2009
As George Walker Bush (GWB) prepares to finally leave the White House, now is an appropriate time to look back on his contributions as U.S. President to the world of poetry. Those contributions are very meagre: to wit, GWB may or may not be the author of one poem, "Dear Laura,".
"Dear Laura," has never been published; however, it was read by GWB's wife, Laura Lane Welch Bush, at the National Book Festival Gala held at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., on October 23, 2003. Mrs. Bush, who had just returned to Washington from a trip abroad, prefaced her reading of the poem with the following anecdote:
We delight in great works of literature and especially in the works of budding new artists. President Bush is a great leader and husband but I bet you didn't know, he is also quite the poet. Upon returning home last night from my long trip, I found a lovely poem waiting for me. Normally, I wouldn't share something so personal, but since we're celebrating great writers, I can't resist.
Dear Laura,
Roses are red, violets are blue,
oh my lump in the bed, how I've missed you.
Roses are redder, bluer am I,
seeing you kissed by that charming French guy.
The dogs and the cat they miss you too,
Barney's still mad you dropped him, he ate your shoe.
The distance my dear has been such a barrier,
next time you want an adventure, just land on a carrier.
-
Added Mrs. Bush: "I'm happy to be the inspiration behind this poem." (1)
However, two months later (on Dec. 28), Mrs. Bush told Tim Russert of "Meet the Press" that GWB was not the author of "Dear Laura," implying that she herself was the author:
MR. RUSSERT: Now, who could have written that poem, huh? I mean, what... MRS. BUSH: Well, of course, he didn't really write the poem. But a lot of people really believed that he did. That evening at the dinner, what some woman from across the table said: "You just don't know how great it is to have a husband who would write a poem for you." MR. RUSSERT: Lump in the bed? What ... MRS. BUSH: Well, he did really call me that, of course, but ... MR. RUSSERT: Land on a carrier and you paid him back a little bit, huh? MRS. BUSH: Yeah. (2)
Mrs. Bush's Dec. 28 remarks were taken at face value by such of the media as chose to cover the story, like Timothy Noah of the on-line magazine, Slate. (3) However, the issue is not as cut and dried as that. It is obvious, as Mr. Noah claims, that Mrs. Bush told an untruth; that untruth, though, could just as easily be her December claim as her October one.
It could very well be that, once "Dear Laura," became widely known, the White House was forced to cover up GWB's authorship, and Mrs. Bush's remarks to "Meet the Press" were part of a campaign designed to do just that.
Sadly, the bulk of the media did not follow up on the story. So the question of the authorship of "Dear Laura," has been consigned to that dusty vault of stories from the Bush administration for which we may never know the truth.
Fortunately, though, the title question -- is GWB an American poet? -- is more easily answered. For, whether GWB wrote "Dear Laura," or not, the evidence is equally conclusive.
The views expressed in this
article are those of George Dance only and do not represent
the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. George Dance is
solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an
employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
Posted By: Jake, the champion of the constitution
Date: 2009-01-19 01:32:39
Wow George! Pretty screwed up, from the whitehouse.gov page, it looks like GW was there too, so it hardly seems like it would be a lie; I bet you are correct.
Posted By: No Name Supplied
Date: 2009-09-06 23:29:48
Some might wonder, in an economy this unstable, about the First Lady’s departing wishes to leave the White House zoloft with a set of dishes that isn’t even microwavable. Drapes, perhaps. Maybe knick-knacks or doodads to decorate a shelf buy zyban or windowsill, but 320 plates for a cool half mil? Some might react with surprise, oh-nos, egads, and what-in-the-world-was-Laura-Bush-thinking? But not me. I don’t want Sarkozy sitting there mocking the presidential tupperware or having to use a buy acyclovir styrofoam cup for drinking. Besides, the china isn’t all that bold: the plates she chose are only rimmed with gold.
Want to comment on this
article? Leave your comment here. Your email address is
required to track your comment. However, we will neither
publish your email address nor distribute it to other
organizations or persons. The only reason we might use
it would be if we needed to contact you regarding your
comment. All comments are subject to our
terms of use policy.
