Bush's 'Regular Guy' Mode Can Backfire

By David Jackson, USA TODAY

(July 28) -- Amid tensions in Iraq and the Middle East, President Bush meets Friday with a special delegation: Taylor Hicks and the American Idol finalists.

Visiting with the most recent stars of the Fox TV show is the latest example of Bush being a regular guy, exuding a down-home style that has been both a blessing and curse to the president.

His aides say Bush likes to show a lighter side, taking the edge off weighty matters that come with his job. Some critics, though, say some of these moments demonstrate a lack of seriousness.

For example: Bush's recent trip to Europe to visit German Chancellor Angela Merkel and meet with world leaders in Russia at the annual Group of Eight summit of industrialized nations caused a stir.

He could be heard cursing over a live microphone, talked longingly about "slicing the pig" at a barbecue in his honor, and gave an impromptu neck massage to a startled Merkel that was seen around the world via the Internet.

White House spokesman Tony Snow said the president believes in "putting people at ease, so that you can have a candid conversation."

Dialog International, a blog about German-American relations, said that "while seemingly insignificant," the neck rub and other incidents underscore that "Bush is incapable of leading during a crisis."

The president himself chuckled when Snow told him an open mike caught his remark that someone should tell Syria to tell Hezbollah to "stop doing this s--" against Israel.

Snow says Bush is "not stilted and overly formal" but is also "the head of the most powerful nation on Earth, and he's aware of that."

Bush's regular-guy approach can take many forms. Last month, he took Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to tour Elvis Presley's Graceland home in Memphis. The president snuck out of the White House, with the Secret Service and reporters in tow, to attend a Washington Nationals baseball game three weeks ago. On Wednesday, he stopped the presidential motorcade to invest $4 in young entrepreneurs selling lemonade in West Virginia.

The president is also fast with a wisecrack. At Thursday's ceremony to sign into law an extension of the Voting Rights Act, Bush acknowledged civil rights leader Joseph Lowery in the audience. During Coretta Scott King's funeral in February, Lowery blasted Bush over the Iraq war. "Reverend Lowery, it's good to see you again, sir," Bush said on this occasion. "Fortunately, I got the mike this time."

The Idol photo session occurs as the group is in town for a concert. Administration officials likened the appearance to White House events honoring sports champions. "It's going to be a very, very quick event," Snow said.

Wayne Fields, director of American culture studies at Washington University in St. Louis, said these moments help Bush relate to average Americans.

"The problem," he added, "is that in times of real crisis, people begin to think maybe you need somebody who is extraordinary."

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, said the nature of the
presidency precludes the idea that any occupant can be an average Joe.

"The office transforms you into a rarefied creature," she said.

07/28/2006 07:15

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