John Kass Says Something Right!

Is everyone sitting down? I hope so, because this is the title of John Kass's Column today in the Chicago Tribune:

Mother's Remark Puts Silver Foot in Bush's Mouth

Yes, John Kass. I know, I couldn't believe it either. Actually criticizing someone on the right. But wait, it gets better:

I was all set to defend President Bush as a guy who really doesn't want poor black people in Louisiana and Mississippi to die of starvation and disease, no matter what the Democrats say.

But then Barbara Bush, the president's mom, went and dusted off the Bush family silver foot Monday. And she used it.

While touring the Houston Astrodome, where thousands of Hurricane Katrina refugees have been huddling, Barbara Bush said they didn't have it so bad because, heck, they were poor to begin with.

"What I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas," she was quoted as saying in an interview on National Public Radio.

More below the fold:

A few more incredible paragraphs (incredible, because this is coming not from Molly Ivins or Clarence Page, but John Kass!:

Thousands of hurricane refugees were sitting on or near their green army cots, perhaps thinking of lunch, presumably waiting to be fed something hearty.

Anything but cake.

"Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality," Barbara Bush said. And here comes the fastball over the middle of the Democratic plate:

"And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them."

At least she didn't ask them to sing and dance. But I'm sure it's working out very well for them. How often does something nice like a hurricane come by and change your life so you can hang out with thousands of others in the Astrodome and have Barbara Bush say it wasn't so bad, because you were poor anyway?

By my calculations, Barb's foot is about a 10 1/2 EE, but by the time you read this on Wednesday, after Leno and Letterman get through with her, she'll have an EEEE at least. There should be some back teeth stuck to the pinky toe when the surgeon general finally pulls it out.

and

Please don't get it into your head that my constant exposure to people in the mainstream media--many of whom are still peeved that Al Gore isn't president--has changed my political views. It hasn't.

But what Barbara Bush said can't be ignored. She's the former first lady, the current first grandmother, and she's no political cream puff.

Wow, maybe this time, the end of the illusion really is nigh. . . .