Subject: Define tragedy
President Bush visits a primary school and sits in on one of the classes (no, not to read "my Pet Goat" during a terror attack..) , which is in the middle of a discussion on words and their meaning.
The teacher asks Mr. Bush if he would like to lead the discussion of the word "tragedy."
So, the vocabulary-challenged Dubya asks the class for an example of a "tragedy."
One little boy stands up and offers:
"If my best friend, who lives on a farm, is playing in the field and a runaway tractor comes along and knocks him dead, that would be a tragedy."
"That's wrong," Bush shouts. "That would be considered an accident."
A little girl raises her hand:
"If a school bus carrying 50 children drove over a cliff, killing everyone inside, that would be a tragedy."
"You are completely incorrect," shouts the election- stealing President.
"That would be what we would consider a great loss."
The room goes silent. No other children volunteer.
Bush searches the room.
"Isn't there someone here who can give me an example of a tragedy?"
Finally, at the back of the room, a small boy raises his hand.
In a quiet voice, he says,
"If a plane carrying the President George Bush were struck by a missile and blown to smithereens, that would be a tragedy."
"Fantastic!" exclaims Bush.
"You are absolutely right. Can you tell me why that would be a tragedy?"
"Well," says the boy, "because it sure as hell wouldn't be a great loss,
and it probably wouldn't be an accident.
