Potus schmotus

Maybe I'm the last person in the United States who doesn't know what "potus" stands for or who hasn't watched an episode of "The West Wing," because when my aunt Susu emailed me and asked me how it was hanging out with potus in Israel, I thought she was referring to a flower that blooms in the mid-spring. After a quick Google search, I learned that "potus" stands for "President of the United States," as in George W. Bush, who was here last week to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Israel's statehood.

Things got off a little awkwardly when Bush landed in Tel Aviv and remarked that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was "an honest man." Bush was apparently unmoved by the fact that Olmert is being investigated for bribery for the fifth time and is probably facing indictment soon. Just about everyone in Israel thinks he is a crook.

Bush stayed again at the King David Hotel, which is very close to the Hebrew Union College. As I walked to HUC one day last week, I noticed this sign set up along the road:

Nevermind the legions of great Texans who have a legitimate claim to being the greatest since Davy Crockett. (I'm thinking specifically of Willie Nelson, ZZ Top and Dan Rather, in that order.) What really tickled me is the fact that Davy Crockett is not a Texan. He was born in Tennessee and spent most of his life there, eventually representing the state in the House of Representatives. It was only after his re-election bid failed that he made good on this declaration: "You may all go to hell and I will go to Texas," arriving just in time to die at the Battle of the Alamo.

(Sorry for the long delay between posts. I took at day trip up north last Monday and will post those pictures soon.)