THE FIRST TWINS

I'm afraid my pageviews will remain infinitessimal as long as I admit that I haven't seen Jenna and/or Barbara Bush around town. But when not riding Air Force One from swing state to swing state, they are here, usually in bars around Georgetown. And though I hit G-Town bars often enough, they probably aren't the same ones. (I stick closer to the Metro-accessible waterfront and avoid the ones with an invitation list.) But being roughly the same age as the presidential offspring, I take some interest in their coverage. Can I imagine being followed as closely as they are? Yes, and I bet the novelty wears off but fast.

This week TNR's Michael Crowley has a pretty good piece at Slate -- which didja hear? Microsoft is trying to unload -- about them.

Before I start agreeing, I should note one bit I object to. After evaluating their known contrasts -- mainly their choice of universities -- Crowley writes:

What they do share is a taste for hip clothes, a good party, and a celebrity milieu (they've reportedly clinked glasses recently with P. Diddy and Ashton Kutcher). OK, so they're not a couple of Chelsea Clintons.

Huh? This refers to the immaculately dressed Chelsea, once frequently observed (though not photographed) at Stanford parties smoking cigarettes (I have sources), who now attends European fashion shows with the likes of Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow? Anyway, it's a throwaway line. Hiis assessment does get better when he takes on their drunken tabloid spreads:

The Bush girls deserve a little good press. They've been held to standards that millions of college students couldn't meet—partly because they are presidential daughters, and partly because they are daughters of this president [emphasis in original], and therefore are assumed to have inherited his youthful fecklessness and dipsomania. A prudish media tittered for years over their collegiate drinking exploits. But what could be more ordinary?

Abso-fucking-lutely.

It's a fun read, less about politics than culture -- and I'm one who thinks culture is one of Slate's strengths these days. Comparing them to presidential offspring, they seem to be doing better than most -- better probably at this point than their father and certainly better than Amy Carter, who had to drop out of Brown.

No point here really, except to defend their "binge drinking," as Crowley carelessly calls it. (Trust me, I know binge drinking.) But if I do run into one or both of the notorious sistren around town, a "Famous for DC III" post won't be far behind.

P.S. The timing of this post is fortuitous -- I almost forgot that the twins did an online chat at the Bush-Cheney campaign website this afternoon. The transcript is here. Based on what I've heard of their sporadic comments on politics and issues of the day, it's impossible to believe they wrote some of what was posted. I know they're campaigning for their dad on account of filial duty, and I would do the same, but some of this just can't be taken seriously.

P.P.S. But don't get me wrong, it wasn't all scripted. Note their stated affinity for "Modest Mouse, The Strokes and Postal Service." These girls are all right in my book.

---

posted by WWB at 11:13 PM |