Etiquette Warning: The President's (Very Active) Middle Finger

It's definitely impolite. And yes, it's a behavior that most would agree is not befitting the President of the United States. But flipping the bird is something that George W. Bush apparently likes to do. A lot. At least more than most other major world leaders.

So it is with perhaps a bit of embarassment and yet total honesty that we must report that BlogPulse's No. 2 blog post today, (as well as the No. 3 top link) is the onegoodmove blog's :Bush Flips Out" video of the Prez flipping off the press corps, as related by NBC's Jay Leno."Hail to the Chief," headlines the Republic of T blog. "The central message of his Presidency," sighs the Tattered Coat.

One, two, three...
For contextual purposes, this is the third time (count 'em, three) that Bush has publicly displayed his middle digit (on purpose, too). A video of then-Gov. Bush proffering the salute, in fact, was the most-shared video by bloggers during the 2004 Presidential Campaign season, as logged by BlogPulse's Campaign Radar 2004. And last July, during the heat of the campaign, a Pennsylvania blogger teen who showed up with anti-Bush signs while the Presidential bus motored through his home town of Lampeter received the one-finger treatment, which he chronicled on his jiveturky blog.

Items of plate-shifting proportions
Can't help but point out a few major news items from the past few days that indicate major paradigm shifts. Northern Ireland's IRA has disavowed violence, (today's No. 2 top link), the current shuttle mission may be NASA's last, (today's No. 3 top news story), and Utah is allowing a woman's "GAYSROCK" license plate. "Only in Utah" opines Thought Mechanics blog.

Two more indiscretions
Might as well pool all of the mildly offensive material in one day, eh? Today's No. 19 link could serve as the 2005 equivalent of the red-state/blue-state "Jesusland" map that circulated in the weeks after the 2004 election, although this updated version scans sea to shining sea through the eyes of someone's opinionated aunt. "Socially and geographically questionable," notes Gridskipper. And then there's veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas (BlogPulse's No. 11 burstiest person), who vows to do herself in if Veep Dick Cheney runs for his boss' job. Says INDC Journal: "Yikes."