President Bush, meet Major Burns.

President Bush, regular guy that he is, did a regular guy thing.  He drove a tractor.  Big honking bulldozer of a tractor.  He was visiting a Caterpillar plant.  Somebody thought it would make a good photo op and offered him the keys.  He had a lot of fun.  Newsweek's Holly Bailey reports:

Does President Bush have it in for the press corps? Touring a Caterpillar factory in Peoria, Ill., the Commander in Chief got behind the wheel of a giant tractor and played chicken with a few wayward reporters. Wearing a pair of stylish safety glasses--at least more stylish than most safety glasses--Bush got a mini-tour of the factory before delivering remarks on the economy. "I would suggest moving back," Bush said as he climbed into the cab of a massive D-10 tractor. "I'm about to crank this sucker up." As the engine roared to life, White House staffers tried to steer the press corps to safety, but when the tractor lurched forward, they too were forced to scramble for safety."Get out of the way!" a news photographer yelled. "I think he might run us over!" said another. White House aides tried to herd the reporters the right way without getting run over themselves. Even the Secret Service got involved, as one agent began yelling at reporters to get clear of the tractor. Watching the chaos below, Bush looked out the tractor's window and laughed, steering the massive machine into the spot where most of the press corps had been positioned. The episode lasted about a minute, and Bush was still laughing when he pulled to a stop. He gave reporters a thumbs-up. "If you've never driven a D-10, it's the coolest experience," Bush said afterward. Yeah, almost as much fun as seeing your life flash before your eyes.

Million years ago, back when I was blogging from my cave, all alone in the wilderness, I wrote a post comparing George W. Bush to MASH's Major Frank Burns.

I meant the movie MASH's Frank, not the TV show.  I was referring specifically to the movie Frank's tendency to shrug off all his mistakes by claiming they're a result of God's will or other's people's faults.

Turns out, President Bush is like the TV Frank too.

Thanks to tristero.

Comments

[Adorable Girlfriend]

The Boston PD called and you Mister Mannion are on the list of suspects. It's been rumored you once played a game of Clue in the Back Bay.

The BPD wants you to know they are tough on crime and terrorist shenannigans.

[Mike Schilling]

Wonderfully inspired by the fourth cartoon down

[mac macgillicuddy]

"Touring a Caterpillar factory in Peoria, Ill., the Commander in Chief got behind the wheel of a giant tractor and played chicken with a few wayward reporters."

If I had a penny for every one of Georgie's thoughts every time the term "Commander in Chief" has been used as his moniker, we'd all be millionaires, because I'd give away the blood money, for sure.

This is an honest question: Does anyone out there older than I remember a time when the country was so obsessed with identifying the President of the U.S. with this supposedly ancillary role?

I keep waiting for Georgie to start wearing the fatigues. Never mind the caterpillars. Let's see him driving that TANK!

[Jill]

I don't know how old you are, mac, but I am 51, and I've never heard this before. Never mind the fact that it's inaccurate. The president is the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, NOT of the entire country. And I don't care how many socks he stuffs into his codpiece.