Where's the presidential "dignity"? (Insider Report).(George W. Bush's remarks at the White House Correspondents Dinner)(Brief Article)

Consistently supporting larger and more intrusive government at home and continuing entanglements abroad, George W. Bush has done little to earn the support of conservative Americans. Those determined to defend the president frequently frame the issue in terms of style, rather than substance: "Whatever you may think of his agenda," such people assert, "you've got to agree that at least he's restored a sense of personal dignity to the White House."

This claim is impossible to make following the president's performance at the May 4th White House Correspondents Dinner.

The true center of attention at the annual media event was aging heavy metal rocker Ozzy Osbourne, star of MTV's reality show "The Osbournes," which (in the words of an AP account) "chronicles the family's wacky, profane home life." In his prepared remarks, the president went out of his way to highlight the foulmouthed rocker, brought as a guest by Fox News' Greta Van Susteren.

Opening his address, the president noted the presence of "Washington power brokers, celebrities, Hollywood stars, [and] Ozzy Osbourne." At this point, reported USA Today, "Ozzy stood on his chair, arms raised, fists high to wild applause." "Might have been a mistake," continued the president, theatrically shaking his head in mock dismay.

Proof that the president had not made a "mistake" by introducing Osbourne came later in the speech, when he displayed more than a passing acquaintance ...