"Who cares what you think?"

Self-admitted regular schmoo Bill Hangley finally comes forward to talk about his brief encounter with George W. Bush, which produced probably the Bushism to end all Bushisms:

A church picnic in Philadelphia, designed to help George W. Bush promote his faith-based policies. I was working at the time for a local nonprofit that had helped set it up, but I had some serious misgivings about the president's performance up to that point, and being a part of the whole operation had left me feeling a bit like a pseudo-person. So when I had the chance to shake Bush's hand, I said, "Mr. President, I'm very disappointed in your work so far. I hope you only serve four years."

His smiling response was swift: "Who cares what you think?"

I agree with Hangley that the quote ought to be appearing on T-shirts, preferably at Bush appearances. (Of course, anyone wearing one would be automatically sent to the "First Amendment zone.")

And now, as November approaches, I have to thank the president for pointing me toward exactly the right question. The voters won't go to the polls thinking only of war or taxes or moral clarity. They'll be asking themselves, "Does Bush care what I think?"

The only appropriate answer to which, of course, would be a smirk.