Humorless Conservative Nation

Diana West is seriously humor-impaired.

Laura Bush's monologue at the White House Correspondents' Dinner over a week ago is STILL the subject of discussion.

Diana West is among the small group of utterly humorless conservatives who found Mrs. Bush's performance offensive.

She suggests:

It may be the ultimate "litmus test," a chance to reveal something more vital than mere politics, and certainly less easily defined: the state of public taste and judgment.

This should come as something of a relief to those among us weary of the well-worn Red State, Blue State divide. Better to carve up the world between those who found Laura Bush's jokes funny, and those who didn't. Or, rather, those who found Laura Bush's jokes an ornament to the White House, and those who wished a grownup had happened by the East Wing to yank them from the script and throw in some nifty new adventures of Barney.

Why? When a woman happens to be first lady, "funny" at any expense isn't part of the job description, not when "funny" comes at the expense of her husband's image. And I don't mean "image" as in public relations product. I mean "image" as in public symbol. World leader. Commander-in-chief. In these explosive times, with tens of thousands of soldiers under arms. Which is a sobering thought, or should be.

...After all, the whole thing was "just" a joke. But Laura Bush is not Joan Rivers. Splashing into the media mainstream to join the derisive fun, decoupling fateful words from mortal purpose, is a risky proposition for the wife of a superpower leader. One day, "ending tyranny" is Mr. Bush's raison d'etre; the next day, it is Mrs. Bush's punch line.

The day after that -- who knows? The lingering air of uncertainty is hardly worth the media snickers, even if the first lady did manage to "humanize" her husband, as The New York Times so admiringly put it. Certainly, she knocked him down some pegs, which in our age is much the same thing. But imagine other presidencies, particularly in wartime. Would we have said Eleanor humanized FDR by doing a stand-up routine about Franklin always "fearing fear itself"? Or that Pat Nixon humanized Richard by wondering where the heck the peace was that Dick said was "at hand"? Or that Nancy Reagan humanized Ron by teasing him about tearing down that old wall?

"Lighten up," they say, in a programmed response. No thanks. A laugh-track nation doesn't really offer serious comic relief.
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West sounds like a person who is fearful of anything that is critical of the President, even jokes delivered by his own wife during an evening when humor is the main course. She has no reason to feel so threatened by an ounce of light-heartedness.

I think Laura's willingness to deliver the type of jokes that she did shows just how comfortable she and her husband are with themselves.

It certainly indicates that they are laughing when sneering liberals make similar jokes at their expense.

Her performance at the dinner only highlights the humanness of George and Laura Bush, pointing out that when all is said and done they aren't really that different from the rest of us.

Laura Bush is a class act. Her remarks were appropriate given the setting in which they were made. West fails to understand the issue of CONTEXT and the nuance of self-deprecating humor. Comparing Mrs. Bush's comments to Whoopi Goldberg's routine is laughable.

West and like-minded individuals need to look at the big picture and get a grip.

Nothing disarms critics like taking away their ammunition, which is exactly what Laura did.