The First Lady's Kinky

Texas Jewboy Kinky Friedman has been polling much better than I thought in his independent run for Texas governor in 2006— 21%, according to the latest Zogby. The singer/novelist has been on a "fun-raising" swing through Hollywood, drawing this friendly op-ed notice in the L.A. Times, which contains this mind-tweaking anecdote:

In April 2002, during the so-called council of war between President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair in Crawford, Texas, there was a surreal moment at dinner when the conversation turned from the West Bank, Baghdad and Gaza to Friedman and his band, the Texas Jewboys.

According to Sir Christopher Meyer, whose gossipy memoirs, "DC Confidential," gave London's dinner-party circuit something to chatter about last week, First Lady Laura Bush cheerfully informed the dumbstruck British contingent that she was a fan of Friedman and his song "I'm an Asshole from El Paso." Actually, the first lady had got it wrong—this number is properly known as "Proud to Be an Asshole from El Paso," but never mind.