"I wanted to take U Conn. But Turd Blossom reminded me they're from a Blue State. And weak on Defense."

Dubya gave a freaked-out unannounced presser this morning from the White House Press Room. As usual, he was equal parts optimistic, flailingly unprofessional and petulent. The exchange with Helen Thomas is the only thing you need to read or listen to unless you've got, like, no life. As one of the few thousand Americans who was able to watch it while I gave an uncomfortably-teething, seething-with-a-lowgrade-cold, yet entirely submissive Maya her morning bottle, I'm still stunned by the display. For those of you that think I'm always just spouting liberal shtick, I challenge you - watch this guy, YOUR GUY, painfully try to joke around with a roomful of reporters and tell me why I shouldn't make fun of him. Dubya knows he's on camera. Hell, any dork knows how a camcorder works. That's why so many people freeze up and get all bizarro when they see the red light at weddings or family reunions. Yet this is actually important. Still, Dubya feels as though the Prezidunt should make fun of reporters in between questions while the World shakes its collective head at the disrespect. It's so painfully obvious the disdain Dubya and his tired staff of cronies have for the media. On that fact, tons of Americans are with them. That's why the Bushies do it - discredit the critics, play lowball, say the media distorts everything, yada yada yada. Part of the modern American Preziduncy, many would defend them by saying. But their flippance far too often recently (including this past weekend's WashingtonPost Op/Ed ghost-written for Rummy) condescends even further to the claim that "history will decide" and that journalism is all crap. I suggest that this is merely a tactic to buy time. But many more news conferences like this one and, well - history can't wait forever.

Hope your own news conferences today include at least one question about how your NCAA Tourney brackets are looking. Rock on.