[Miss Marple]

Here's another thing: we don't know that this is actually what President Bush said. Although Webb's people have been complaining that the White House leaked the original story, that leak had to have come from the Webb camp.

Why do I say that? It is because Webb's THOUGHTS ("I wanted to slug him") were quoted.

Therefore, the President could have said something like, "I know how you feel, but I just wanted to know how your son is doing."

Democrats lie. It is part of their fabric of being.

[Irish Rose]

Yes, they do lie. But sometimes they tell the truth.

When I first read the story, I thought George Bush did get snippy, a lapse of his usual graciousness. Having had a friendly inquiry - to an opposing senator, no less - met with a demand to cut and run, I figured the president got impatient, something he's been known to do.

I assumed, of course, that the story was true - something I'm still inclined to think but can't prove. As others have pointed out, a lot depends on tone too, and I have no idea whether the president's was gracious or snippy. It's not unbelievable that George Bush would fire off a snippy line.

If, as is probable, he did, it's not unforgivable, either. As I said, I consider it a lapse of the graciousness that the president has so often shown. We all have our lapses. Knowing the weakness of ourselves and of others, do you know how we should meet those lapses? With grace.