Did you know that Jenna Bush is getting married tonight in a “simple but elegant” Oscar de la Renta wedding gown with embroidery and matte beading? No? Neither did I. I vaguely knew that she was engaged, and presumably a wedding would someday be in the offing. Did I care? No. I haven’t heard one person mention this wedding, and I watched cable news last night and it wasn’t mentioned. But don’t tell that to Amy Argetsinger. She thinks we are all clamoring for every shred of news about this non-event.
What, you want more? Of course you do! We’re talking about the president’s daughter here, and media organizations as varied as “Access Hollywood” and Agence France-Presse have poured into this tiny community — home to George and Laura Bush’s 1,600-acre ranch — to cover what some consider the celebrity wedding of the year.
But despite the widespread interest — and despite the blond First Twin’s increasingly public profile as a published author and do-gooder — the White House has repeatedly made clear that this is a private event.
For once I agree with the White House. I’ve published countless critical words about the Bush administration, but I do not believe I have ever written a word about Bush’s daughters, and I can’t remember anything I’ve written about his wife. This is just embarrassing.
Her lite-comic presentation with sister Barbara at the 2004 GOP convention (grandmother Barbara Bush, Jenna said, “thinks ‘Sex and the City’ is something married people do, but never talk about”) was electrifying, if only because it was the first time most of the world had ever heard her voice.
Electrifying? How about insipid? This column is a desperate attempt to hype the unhypeable. Did you know that we all have this shared history?
In Jenna Bush, we have the first White House bride in decades whom the public truly watched grow up — and one who has trod a fascinating tightrope between private citizen and public celebrity.
Do you feel like you watched her grow up? Did you find it fascinating? As far as I can remember, the only time I’ve seen Jenna Bush’s name in the news is when she has been having a little too much fun on the town or she’s been on vacation. And I’m a political junkie of the highest order. I don’t miss too many headlines. When blogs have bothered to notice Jenna (and her twin sister) at all it has been to make fun of her party-girl reputation or to wonder aloud why she isn’t sporting camos in a Humvee on the Baghdad airport road. I always found such sniping to be unsporting and tasteless, and about the furthest thing from ‘fascinating’.
In fairness, Jenna did take an internship in Panama with UNICEF and write a book about poverty and HIV/AIDS in Central America. She probably could have used a little more positive press about that effort, but her father’s criminal incompetence shattered the usual good will people have for the First Family, and her book tour went mostly unnoticed and unpraised.
“People are fascinated by this remaking of Jenna” from party girl to serious educator/advocate type, said Jellison, who has studied American weddings and followed Jenna’s trajectory. “That may be creating more curiosity about her.”
No. Believe me. It’s not. No one cares. And that’s not a bad thing. It’s a good thing. Look at the war. Look at the economy. We have presidential and congressional elections to consider. Jenna Bush didn’t pick her father. I hope she has a happy marriage and a successful life.
But I still hope there’s a big bowl of pretzels for George to eat from tonight.
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Give her some credit. She said she wasn’t sure if she would vote for McCain.
Is there anyone below the age of 160, and who isn’t a Klan member, who’s sure they’ll vote for McCain?
your post makes me wonder why her Husband isn’t sporting camos and riding shot in a Humvee along the Airport Road in Baghdad.
I literally just published the exact same smackdown, dropped by BMT, and here we are.
Amy Argetsinger is a clown, a true Village idiot.
we cam to the exact same conclusions. We can’t afford bread, why do we want to watch Jenna Bush eat cake?
And no, you didn’t watch her grow up: that’s because, contrary to Argetsinger’s bullshit, the Bush family deliberately did their best to keep their drunk daughters out of the public sphere. All it takes to learn that is the Google.
Also, did you notice there’s barely anything about Beirut in the Post today. Way off the front page in the NY Times as well.
Guess the losses of the Glorious War on Terror don’t matter as much as our Victories. Wait a minute: what victories?
An illustrative demonstration of our differing styles of political combat.
Somehow I find it comforting that Access Hollywood and not MSM or a whole segment on MTP is covering this.
And o/t but if I hear Pat Buchanan say ORYGONE one more time I mat have to switch to Access Hollywood.
Apart from Jenna Bush’s own feelings about it, I think even this White House might get the fact that most people don’t feel like celebrating anything having to do with the Bushes at this point — why would they?
And about her not necessarily voting for McCain, Ms. Bush might actually end up with some sort of social conscience after her exposure to real suffering; I remember reading once that Laura Bush’s family had been staunch LBJ Democrats, I think, so it’s possible, I reckon.
Her husband-to-be is from a highly connected Republican family. I forget who or what the connection is.
Family members of presidents are only an issue if they are using their connection improperly. Otherwise, it reeks of Hollywood-style gossip.
is when one says they don’t care about something yet they right a front page diary about it. Why bother?
Maybe he’s outraged that someone thinks he should care about it?
…this remaking of Jenna” from party girl to serious educator/advocate type
Really? No, I was completely unaware that she had been remade from the air-headed not-so-bright party girl who read out that insipid nonsense for the 2004 inauguration into a useful citizen. I was completely unaware that she had written a book and had a book tour.
You’re right, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Occasionally I wonder how the Bush twins put up with the fact that their dad will go down in history as America’s worst President, ever.
I think I heard she was engaged but it never really occurred to me to care.
I vaguely remember LBJ’s daughters getting married. I would have been in junior high at the time. Didn’t much care then either, but there was a fair amount of press coverage IIRC.
I’m much more interested in his nuptials.
Many times more interested in Not-Jenna as she is hotter, of course, when you’re multiplying by 1.00000001 what you’ve got isn’t really classed as “interest.”
“And that’s not a bad thing. It’s a good thing. Look at the war. Look at the economy. We have presidential and congressional elections to consider. Jenna Bush didn’t pick her father. I hope she has a happy marriage and a successful life.”
And that, undoubtedly, is the reason that it has not been hyped like a major affair of state. I would guess Jenna insisted on that.
Best wishes! Hope you have a wonderful life but please don’t make a run for Presidency.
Here’s your Hollywood Extra! update.