Yo ... Blair!

Anyone who reads, peruses or even takes a whiff of this here blog knows that the contributors aren't exactly big Dumbya fans. But then I come across a story like this, in which an open microphone captures the clod in chief talking trash with fellow world leaders at the G-8 Summit, and I actually feel kinda friendly toward the guy. Explain that to me.

Although AP thinks the lead is that Bush describes Hezbollah as responsible for "the shit" currently happening in Lebanon, I'm more intrigued by his more innocuous banter:

"As he chats with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Bush expresses amazement that it will take Putin and an unidentified leader just as long to fly home to Moscow as it will take him to fly back to Washington. Putin's reply could not be heard.

"'You eight hours? Me too. Russia's a big country and you're a big country. Takes him eight hours to fly home. Not Coke, diet Coke. ... Russia's big and so is China. Yo Blair, what're you doing? Are you leaving,' Bush said.

"Bush thanked Blair for a gift of a sweater and joked that he knew Blair had picked it out personally. 'Absolutely,' Blair responded, with a laugh."

There's something beyond surreal about the president of the United States addressing the prime minister of Great Britain as, "Yo, Blair" ... to say nothing of comparing the length of nations.