> "Shrub" has been a nickname for GWB in Texas for >years. I defend my use >of > it on that basis alone. > > > I think Molly coined that, didn't she? Maybe Ann >did. It is in a fine >Texas tradition, and not uncivil. I think that the >civility Gautam refers >to is the old fashioned Northeastern upper crust >politeness. That's not how >things are done in many parts of the country now. No kidding. The real question is if that 'upper-crust politeness' between politicos ever really existed at all, except in the minds of people who yearn for past and better times. If we put our minds to it I'm sure we can find a few thousand examples of such behavior in American political arenas on either side going back over the last half century. Molly Ivins may not have coined the term 'Shrub', (If not, it was almost certainly Ann Richards,) but she's certainly made sure it's made its way into the public consciousness. Her 2000 book with Lou Dubose entitled "Shrub -- The Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush" basically skewered the man's political record. Despite the decidedly one-sided nature of the book, IMHO, it was nice to see someone attacking a political figure on the positions he's actually taken a stand on publically, rather than how he behaves in his personal life. (In modern political parlance, someone who concentrates on the issues of a campaign might well be defined as a blashphemer.) Jon
