I honestly think the problem with the photo-op on the carrier is not in the details -- what he wore, what he flew in on -- but in the essential, blatant phoniness of the whole thing. Other presidents have had phony photo-ops, but none quite as in-your-face as this one, in which he pretended to be something he's not, in front of the genuine article.

It's interesting how Bush handles phoniness: whether smirking, swaggering, strutting, posturing or whatever, he seems to be saying, "See how phony and theatrical I can be? What are you going to do about it?"