The media has recently whipped itself into a frenzy over President George W. Bush’s use of “the s-word” after a candid filming of a private conversation about the Middle East crisis between him and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, during a luncheon at the last G-8 Summit. The expletive aside, the taping revealed nothing astonishing to viewers with regards to the expected Zionist policy traditionally shared between the two leaders, with Bush essentially stating that Syria needs to tell Hezbollah to stop bombing Israel. In fact, the only issue Bush’s sandwich-filled mouth confirmed for us is a “mid-second-term crisis” of sorts, consisting of desperate last-minute attempts to win over the sunken polls with charm. This “charm” has expressed itself in some of Bush’s recent press conferences and consists of a demeanor that is ultra-confident, nonchalant, and ostensibly funny. Nevertheless, the mediocrity of Bush’s approval rating remains constant: all Americans have gained from Bush’s new persona is the same inexplicable sense of discomfort we felt when the gecko in the Geico commercials first started talking.

Bush’s newly found spunk was especially evident during the press conference held on June 15th, two days after his secret visit to Baghdad, when he let it out of its cage to pounce freely upon reporters. The interrogation session consisted of a series of personal, pre-question comments to reporters that were obviously intended to loosen the patrician austerity of the President’s presence to both reporters and television viewers alike. These intimate exchanges usually ended with the efforts of the target reporters to restore the order with a polite (but inevitably rude), “Ahem, as I was saying….”

Nevertheless, Bush’s affability persisted throughout the conference until he landed in what he would later learn could have been a pretty awkward situation with reporter Peter Wallsten of the Los Angeles Times, who is legally blind:

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, Peter. Are you going to ask that question with shades on?
Q I can take them off.
THE PRESIDENT: I’m interested in the shade look, seriously.
Q All right, I’ll keep it, then.
THE PRESIDENT: For the viewers, there’s no sun. (Laughter.)
Q I guess it depends on your perspective. (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: Touche. (Laughter.)

While it was very sharp of Wallsten to take the humorous route and to choose to tell the media that he was legally blind only after the press conference we also see that the president placed himself on a precarious ledge. If Wallsten had revealed his blindness in the middle of the exchange, the president would have been perceived as a jeerer, in spite of his innocent intentions - not a good look for the polls.

Not long after, Bush’s recklessness would indeed cause him to present himself as rude and unsophisticated, as witnessed at the G-8 Summit.

Different theories have arisen to explain Bush’s recent comportment. Political consultant and commentator James Carville agreed with Conan O’Brien on NBC’s late night talk show that the second term is usually the term during which presidential scandals are most likely to prevail and that “no US president’s second term has been scandal-free since Nixon.” The frequency of second-term controversies perhaps are an indication of increased second-term recklessness in general, a nearly inevitable side effect of believeing that you no longer need to worry about the impression you convey to the public. Carville continued, citing the Jack Abramoff scandal, which was exposed earlier this year and appears to implicate several Republican leaders, including the President.

Others vaguely hint that Bush seems to be influenced by the punchlines doled out by comedic personalities Jon Stewart of The Daily Show and Steven Colbert of The Colbert Report, who thrive at his expense. Serving what is becoming accepted as legitimate political commentary with plenty of spice, Colbert and Stewart have become very politically influential (and popular), and Bush may be taking a page out of their book. There is indirect evidence to prove the first part of this theory. According to an Annenberg Public Policy Center study, Daily Show and Colbert Report viewers are more informed and, thus, opinionated, about current events and political situations than their non-viewing counterparts. Television ratings back this claim.

Further evidence of the augmented influence of these two shows in particular is reflected in the fact that during his presidential campaign, John Kerry chose to sit down with Jon Stewart instead of Bill O’Reilly of The O’Reilly Factor. Despite the obvious fact that Bill O’Reilly’s right-wing stance would understandably repel the Democratic hopeful, some critics say that the choice was based on the perception and statistical facts that the Daily Show was the more respected and watched of the two.

The insinuation therefore is that Bush is now choosing to employ a more humorous demeanor during public appearances, knowing that comedic qualities attract and retain viewers of the aforementioned television personalities, without compromising their respectability. But combine his questionable humor with this with the rash abandon which, as we have seen, typically reigns in second presidential terms, and Bush has accomplished more of a detraction from the sophistication of the presidency than an appeal to the common man. Nevertheless, the recent visit of Japan’s Elvis-crazed Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi should give us some perspective and let us appreciate what we do have.