A Media Whores Online reader writes (quoting Newsweek's Barbara Bush interview):

According to Mrs. Bush:

"It's actually a 'pain in the neck' to be the sibling of a sitting president, she says, and tells how her daughter, Doro Koch, picketed outside Vice President Al Gore's residence 'in disguise' during the 2000 recount. 'That's Doro!' Mrs. Bush hoots when telling about it. 'She felt better' after yelling at the Gore's house for a while, Mrs. Bush says."

Glad to see that Babs thought it was a "hoot," but I wonder if the Gores "felt better" after having crowds of wingnuts scream at them day and night to "get out of Cheney's house."

Well, let's just say that "Doro" was in great company out there on Mass Ave. I too happened to be there one cold, rainy afternoon over Thanksgiving weekend 2000. On my side of the street: a handful of high school kids, an elderly woman, a man who didn't stay long, and myself. On their side: pretty much your conventional full-on "angry mob." But as the afternoon wound down, angry mobbers started crossing the street to our side (in between the out-of-state S.U.V.s that flowed by in an almost constant stream, hooting and flashing three-fingered "W." signs from their windows), apparently for the purpose of tearing up our (rain-soggy, hastily-crafted) signs whenever they got the chance.

Point is, I got to see a few of these characters close up, and a couple in particular stand out in my memory:

1.) The middle-aged guy in heavy beard and sunglasses who voiced a comment associating D.C.'s black population with the drainage of welfare money. One of the high school kids called his remark racist, and the man replied: "Yeah, I'm racist. There's nothing wrong with being proud of your own kind." (Incidentally, he said this stuff within obvious earshot of the black D.C. police officers who were standing right there, apparently protecting my life. They were pretty obviously pissed.)

2.) The very upset, blond, crew-cutted young man who described himself as "160 pounds of pure rage." (That accuracy was impressive. Guy must have weighed himself a lot.) Before I could reply that I was "175 pounds of pure disdain," he left the scene with an equally-angry buddy, indicating that they (he and the buddy) would be waiting for us.

3.) The guy who asked me what I did for a living. "Teach at NYU," I said. "Good school," he said. "But really liberal." No college is perfect, I guess!

O well. I'm glad those cops were there, because their were a lot of folks in pseudo-military garb across the street, and when I asked "Where was Bush in Alabama?" and tried to start an "AWOL" chant, it looked like things might get ugly. I guess the huge disparity in attendance between the Bush and Gore camps sort of proves one of the Republicans' points: nobody's gonna do anything unless they get paid.

Anyway, I feel much better imagining Bush's sister "Doro" in that crowd. Maybe she was the one in the Grinch suit? (That would explain the "disguise.") Or the one yelling about "faggots"? Maybe "Doro" Koch was wearing military-style cammo, yelling about "faggots." Maybe that bearded "racist" was her husband, Mr. Koch. Or maybe the beard was "Doro"'s disguise?