If Only They Could All Meet George….(VIDEO)

December 31, 2008 Cool Stuff, Don'tcha Just Love It?, GW Bush, Hollyweird, Video Comments

I was just watching the Kennedy Center Honors tonight, and one of the honorees was Barbra Streisand (okay, okay! just read a bit more will ya?). I seem to remember a particular awkward embrace being discussed in the media, but out of curiosity I took a peek at her website, and was quite surprised at her own words. This is what she had to say:

Last weekend, I was in Washington DC to accept the Kennedy Center Honors, and I noticed that the kiss between me and the â€œsoon to be formerâ€ President Bush created quite a stir. The Today Show even proclaimed that it was a sign of the apocalypse. The timing is ironic. After eight years of President Clinton and on the cusp of at least four years of President Obama, I get selected to receive this prestigious awardâ€¦during the Bush Administration. I have never met George W. Bush, but for the past eight years I have been blogging about him and his administration on my web site. I have relayed my frustration at the direction he has taken our country in no uncertain terms. So it was just as surprising to me as it apparently was to the press that upon meeting President Bush and extending my hand to him, he said to me, â€œAw câ€™mon, gimme a hug and a kiss,â€ and then he proceeded to embrace me. I must say, I found him very warm and completely disarmingâ€¦even though I think he was kissing me hello as I was kissing him goodbyeâ€¦

During the White House ceremony, the President described each honorees attributes. After he listed mine, he added, â€œSheâ€™s also been known to speak her mind,â€ to which the audience first laughed and then applauded. I genuinely thought he was very funny and very gracious.

During the Kennedy Center Honors, President Bush gave me his signature wink (which he must have passed on to Sarah Palin) and mouthed, â€œWe showed â€˜em.â€ I guess in some small way, he and I proved that we could agree to disagree, and, for that weekend, art transcended politics.

The small snip against Sarah Palin aside (which I think she made for her fans’ sake), I feel that Babs is like one of those celebrities or luminaries who does meet President Bush for the first time, and they are truly taken aback that he is a gracious gentleman. I also watched their interactions on the awards tonight, and as usual, Laura and George exuded nothing but class – and for this time, this Hollywood star, Babra Streisand, did too.

I know, I know, she’s one of “those,” but I gotta tell you… when someone’s seen the light, I have to give credit where credit is due. She at least had the class to speak nicely of him. With a few exceptions, I’m sure that if most of his detractors could have the chance to meet him face to face, they might think differently, too…if only for a moment.

I have one last point to make. More detractors are probably surprised because they’re so bought-in to their preconceived ideas about him, yet it’s George’s pure, honest down-to-earth “I’ll get to know ya when I meet ya” that never surprises him.