"Put Your Hands Down"

Bush Tries To Stifle Child-Level Anti-War Dissent



President Bush popped into a YMCA on Wednesday to trot out his favourite "armies of compassion" spiel about the need for more volunteers to help carry society's burden.

No doubt he wasn't expecting to find himself surrounded by anti-war dissenters, particularly when a raucous debate was going on at the exact same time in Congress, over the future of the Iraq War.

During the photo shoot, in which the kids repeatedly broke out the V, peace sign, Bush tried to keep the dissent out of the view of all the cameras and failed.

Fantastic photo, however. Look at the determination on the face of the young boy in the centre of the shot.

As quoted on White House Watch :

"While the House of Representatives debated weighty matters of war and peace yesterday, President Bush headed to the YMCA.

"In a brightly lighted basement gym, he visited children bending paperclips into different shapes and urged Americans to volunteer as mentors. He talked not of armies in Iraq but of 'armies of compassion' at home.

Even the kids seemed confused.

One asked why he came.

'I came to see you,' the president responded.

As the cameras clicked away, a 7-year-old boy made peace signs. 'Put your hands down,' Bush chided playfully.

And this exchange was overheard by one reporter :

1st kid: 'He's my favorite president.' (referring to Bush)

"2d kid: 'My favorite president is President Obama.'

"1st kid: 'Who's that?'

"2d kid: 'He's the first black president.'"