finally, bush has his own nickname

The president likes to give out nicknames. It’s part of his good-ol’-boy/frat boy charm.

Ken Lay, the CEO of Enron, of course, was “Kenny Boy” right up until the energy corporation imploded, taking investor’s retirement monies with it. Then he became “who?” Lobbyist Jack Abramoff, we have learned recently, is known as “Buff Guy,” – a surprisingly butch nickname in an administration known for its use of a former male escort as a press-room safety valve.

Karl Rove, of course, is “Turd Blossom,” – an imaginative nickname that is, frankly, the high point of Bush’s intellectual investment in politics.

Now, according to researchers at the Pew Research Center, the one word most frequently used to describe the President of the United States is “incompetent.” The top four vote-getters, interestingly enough, are “incompetent,” “good,” “idiot,” and “liar.” Considering the fact that Bush’s approval rating is hovering at 33 percent, according to one poll, the fact that one of the top four responses would be remotely possible is understandable. Deluded, but understandable.

A majority of those responding to the poll believe Bush is “out of touch.” Personally, I think it’s less a matter of George W. Bush being out of touch and about exactly who he is in touch with. If you are a corporate CEO, particularly one involved in the petroleum industry, you could not ask for a more in-touch president. If you are a member of the Carlyle Group, Bush is your man – no question about it.

But if you are a member of the middle class looking at the your share of the $9 trillion debut, which checks in at about $33,000 per person, there is little to recommend the Bush Administration.

If you are a senior citizen trying to thread your way through the mess the Bush Administration has made of the Medicare drug benefit, it would be difficult to call what the president has done for you as “good.”

If you have a student hoping to find a way to pay for college, it would be difficult to find anything favorable about the way Bush has slashed student loan benefits to pay for tax cuts for the aforementioned CEOs.

Still, the media flogs away in favor of George W. Bush.

Soledad O’Brien tied herself in a knot trying to query Senator Russ Feingold about his resolution of centure of Bush – in one question referring to censure as a slap on the rest and in another calling it something too serious to rush into.

And Chris Matthews, in a bellweather moment on just how much he doesn’t get it, questioned the polls that show the president’s approval ratings mired below 39 percent.

Matthews has a history of inflating Bush’s likeability ratings – as late as March 1 claiming that the “likeability” numbers were in the president’s favor.

According to Media Matters for America, the media watchdog webside created by David Brock, the host of MSNBC”s Hardball professed to being “amazed” when confronted by an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll showing that just 39 percent of respondents expressed "positive" feelings toward President Bush, compared with 50 percent who expressed "negative" feelings.

Matthews quipped “I always thought Bush was more popular than his policies. I keep saying it, and I keep being wrong on this. Bush is not popular. I’m amazed when 50 percent of the people don’t like him – just don’t like this guy. Thirty-nine percent like him. Are you surprised? Does that fit with the world you walk in?”

For me, Chris? Absolutely.

In your world, where right wing organizations write you big checks for making speeches in favor of George W. Bush? Probably not so much.

You need to get out more, Chris. Try going to the Corner Club for a beer instead of the Country Club.

More soon.