Bush came across as whiney and petulant. But then that seems to be his normal style so far as I can see, and yet people keep on saying that he's such a likable guy, and that this is his strongest appeal to the American public, so it most be that that kind of guy is the sort of guy that a lot of Americans actually find likable.

Like Jack the Sailor, I find that very disquieting. That's likable? "He's the sort of guy you'd like to come to your barbecue" they keep saying. Not my barbedue, tat;s for sure. And that isn't about politics - I can just about imagine how some people might like his politics. What I can't get my head round is how anyone could like the man. (Or rather, the character he has created for public consumption, which I suspect may well bears little relation to the reality.)