The smirk may be a manifestation of an inner lightness that protects Bush from feeling inadequate. I'm winging it. This may satisfy Bush, but other people have grown concerned. Well, no problem there. Watching Bush spew his canned responses is as discomfiting as seeing your child straining for the high notes of Silent Night at the school pageant.
Most kids know enough to exit the stage gratefully while vowing never to skip practice again.
Bush's response to a near midair collision is to lay down more foam on the runway. Having coasted through Andover and Yale, and to a major-league baseball team that employed his formidable people skills without unduly taxing his mind, he may believe he can also coast to the presidency. I'm not even sure I wanted to be President when I was big, until recently. In search of an attitude correction, party elders have urged more intense tutorials, a speech coach and mock debates. But when Montana Governor Marc Racicot showed up to help Bush prepare for the Manchester debate, studying and dinner were both wrapped up for a 10 p.m. bedtime.