Much has been said about Laura Bush’s performance at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Many were appalled by the ribald and bawdy remarks that seemed to target the very values that values voters hold dear.
Others, however, were only too happy to dismiss the comic act as a masterly public relations ploy which pleased Hollywood’s liberal elite. After all, they argue, the whole affair is only humor. The annual roast is meant to be funny. Prudish conservatives should “get a life” and find a sense of humor.
The real issue here is not humor but content. One can “get a life” staying well outside the limits of male strip clubs. One can find a sense of humor without venturing into the risqué and adulterous world of Hollywood’s desperate housewives.
The R-rated roast had even some liberal writers appearing prudish as they wondered how or whether to explain it to their young children. With soldiers dying in Iraq, one can only ask why it was necessary to belittle their leaders before a vast public. One cannot help but wonder about a message which in the mouth of a liberal would have caused outrage.
Within limits, graciousness and wit are qualities that should be generously appreciated. However, in these times, where all of society and especially youth are exposed to so many negative influences in a sex-saturated world, the nation’s leaders should be wholesome models.