Thursday, January 29, 2009

‘I’m not really a plates kind of guy’

Loved the last part of this story in The New York Times about the new climate in the White House.

The rug is still there, as are the presidential portraits Mr. Bush selected—one of Washington, one of Lincoln—and a collection of decorative green and white plates. During a meeting last week with retired military officials, before he signed an executive order shutting down the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Mr. Obama surveyed his new environs with a critical eye.

“He looked around,” said one of his guests, retired Rear Adm. John D. Hutson, “and said, ‘I’ve got to do something about these plates. I’m not really a plates kind of guy.’ ”

In an odd sort of way I think a lot of us feel the same way about the president that Sarah Palin supporters felt about her. We identify with his vibe. I know exactly what he meant by not being a plate person. I might have said it myself, and I’d hazard a guess he doesn’t care for pillows embroidered with homilies either.