DURST: Bush's NAACP Big Freaking Deal

Presumptive Republican Nominee George W. Bush strode into Baltimore and spoke in front of the NAACP Convention, to what the papers will call a luke warm reception. The same way they'd refer to the appearance of a volcano in the middle of pre school playground as "inconvenient."

But it was a big freakin deal, since the Shrub proved himself man enough on the testosterone scale to brave an arena full of folks who generally regard his party as nothing but a bunch of rich white slime lizard weasels who would rather serve small black children as roasted appetizers on a bed of raddichio than provide them with decent health care. Excepting of course those individuals responsible for commanding the armed forces in a successful desert storm effort on behalf of another guy named George Bush, but that's a different story.

It was an especially big freakin deal since four years ago the previous Presumptive Republican Nominee, Bob Dole, would've rather carried the spit bucket for Randall Tex Cobb's comeback tour than get within a time zone of the NAACP. George the Younger said all the right things, garnering a much better reception than either Mark Furhman or John Rocker would have received, but reporting he was treated politely is a polite way of saying he was tolerated. And tolerance is a good thing.

Whether or not his gallant endeavor will translate into November votes all depends on the sorcery of Al Gore's appeal. You're right. Seems like a safe bet to me too.

Will Durst thinks, "Hey, he gave it a shot." He then wonders if Al Gore is going to go to Bob Jones University. What the hell ...