Context

George Will needs to shut up.

Here's the transcript of the conversation that occurred at the White House reception for new members of Congress:

BUSH: (to Sen. Jim Webb, whose son is fighting in Iraq) How's your boy?
WEBB: I'd like to get them out of Iraq.
BUSH: That's not what I asked you. How's your boy?
WEBB: That's between me and my boy.

In his column today, Will conveniently leaves out the President's insistence that Webb answer his question about his son (the "That's not what I asked you" statement) and declares Webb to be a boor.

My husband and I were just talking about this. He said he wasn't happy with Webb's response, because he recalls the days when then-Senators Al Gore and Dan Quayle would play basketball together. He and I both remember the days when the Senate was known for its civility among all members. I can certainly understand wishing for more friendliness between Democrats and Republicans.

But this wasn't just any Republican. This was President Bush, who has repeatedly shown little to no respect for the Democratic Party or its members and who has repeatedly refused to listen to any dissenting opinions about how he's running the war in Iraq. And his question to Webb wasn't just about something superficial like the Redskins or local restaurants. He specifically asked about Webb's son, knowing his son is a Marine in Iraq. Bush wants people to think he cares about the soldiers, when his Administration has shown the opposite.

So, no, Mr. President, you don't get to use Webb's son politically. If you'd asked about Webb's wife, who is pregnant, I'm sure you would've gotten a pleasant "She's doing fine, thank you" in response. But you didn't. You specifically asked about his son. And when Webb indicated he didn't wish to respond (by making his blanket statement about the troops in general), you pushed him. And so Webb tried to respond as politely as he could: "That's between me and my boy."

My response would've been a lot more colorful, you can bet.