I Bet His Nickname for Wolfe is "Whitey"

George Bush likes I Am Charlotte Simmons, even if the White House flaks will only admit to his having read the recent bios of George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, Elisabeth Bumiller (NYT) reports:

"Does Mr. Bush like the book because it is a journey back to his keg nights at Deke, or because it offers a glimpse into the world of his daughters' generation? Or does he like the writing? Or is it all of the above?"

Asked if he could figure out why W. liked the novel so much, Wolfe himself replied, "I imagine he responded to the blinding talent but beyond that, I'm just not sure." It would be beneath this web site to make a smart aleck remark about the things associated with Wolfe that are far more blinding than his talent, so instead I shall crack wise at the following line: "Friends note that the current President Bush has read every one of Mr. Wolfe's books, including A Man in Full, the behemoth about real estate and social change in Atlanta in the 1990s." I'm willing to bet that, even on the off chance the president has read The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, even he didn't make it through Radical Chic and Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers.

(I'm still listening to the unexpurgated audiobook, by the way, and while it's not getting any better, it's not getting any worse, either, and Dylan Baker makes it rather bearable...)

photo: AP