No Exit

Estelle: I suggest we call ourselves - wait! - absentees.
Have you been - been absent for long?

Garcin: But I wanted to show my colors.
My true colors, do you understand?
--No Exit, Jean-Paul Sartre

And I'll see your true colors
Shining through
--True Colors, Cyndi Lauper
_________

For this, GWB high-tailed it out of his seven-hour Iraq stay?

It began with his third sentence while addressing the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum at the Sydney Opera House last Friday.

"Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC summit," said Bush to Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

"Oops. That would be APEC, the annual meeting of leaders from 21 Pacific Rim nations, not OPEC, the cartel of 12 major oil producers (Bush: OPEC or APEC.)"

Their western get-ups should have been a tip off.

Ever on the ball, GWB self-corrected, saying that Howard had invited him to the OPEC summit next year. Of course, since neither Australia nor the U.S. are OPEC members, this is not bloody likely.

The next gaffe was thanking Howard for sending over the "Austrian troops." Howard may be a likable enough guy, but it is unlikely he could motivate Austrians to march on his behalf.

Though GWB missed that one, the official text released by the White House switched it to "Australian" for him.

Speech done, Bush exited — the wrong way.

"He strode away from the lectern on a path that would have sent him over a steep drop. Howard and others redirected the president to center stage, where there were steps leading down to the floor of the theater."

It was as bad a showing as Britney's comeback, but if it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well it were done quickly. He played to a tepid, not sold-out audience, and even his favorite reporters were blocked from entering the Opera House. The embarrassment this time was minimal. Chalk it up to preemptive damage control.

One can just see the hook coming out from behind the curtain now. . .

--Lisa