George Is Pure Dead Gallus, So He Is

It’s not unusual to see White House aides with heads in hands as their esteemed boss opens his mouth to speak – “Families is where our nation finds hope, where our wings take dream” – but fair play to George W when he used the old Scots Gaelic word “kerfuffle” recently in its correct context. The fact that he was describing the fallout from an illegal government phone-tapping episode was another matter altogether. Next week, in a speech to Congress, he’s expected to describe the war in Iraq as “a bit of a stooshie”.