George meets some Jews

Today Bush hung out with some Jews at the anniversary of something called the Republican Jewish Coalition. He paid tribute to Simon Wiesenthal, who “insisted that we remember that hatred prepares the way for violence,” which he used as a hook for this: “As we saw in the recent desecration of the synagogues in Gaza, the ancient hatred of anti-Semitism still burns in the hearts of men.” Then he went on for some length about Hurricane Katrina. Maybe he thought it sounded like a Jewish name. He talked about rebuilding communities, but assured them that no Jews would actually have to go live in Mississippi, because “you’ve suffered enough.” Oh, okay, he didn’t, but this is his idea of an appropriate joke:

Rabbi Stanton Zamek of the Temple Beth Shalom Synagogue in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, helped an African American couple displaced by the storm track down their daughter in Maryland. When Rabbi Zamek called the daughter, he told her, “We have your parents.” She screamed out, “Thank you, Jesus!” (Laughter.) He didn’t have the heart to tell her she was thanking the wrong rabbi. (Laughter and applause.)

I suspect that whoever’s running the White House website is being punished for something. This is someone so concerned with correct English that they insert a [sic] when Bush says “inspector generals,” and the poor schmuck is in charge of transcribing George Bush’s speeches.

Also, “armies of compassions [sic]”.

This is the group that once paid for him to go to Israel, when he was governor of Texas. Ariel Sharon “said, would you like to go on a helicopter ride and take a look at the West Bank. I said, “Are you flying?” No -- (laughter.) I said, you bet.” Yes, that’s our George: went to a Jewish group and told a fat joke about the Israeli prime minister.

“Does the nose on that eagle look a little Jewy to you?”