White House Weapon of Mass Distraction

Dear Dog Lady,

What is it with presidents and their dogs? President Bush always seems to be trotting out his dog for the cameras. And I recently visited the FDR Memorial in Washington, D.C., and was surprised to see the site included a statue of Roosevelt's dog, Fala, who, by the way, looks a lot like Bush's dog.

Harry, St. Louis, MO

Harry, Dog Lady suggests the president is clinging to his dog because the times are wobbly for George W. Bush. His poll numbers are down. The horrifying images from Iraq continue to stream over the TV and Internet. Even Thomas Friedman, the balanced New York Times columnist, has tilted away from Bush. In a column titled "Dancing Alone," Friedman accuses the president and his inner circle of playing politics, without any moral or historical authority in handling the Iraq morass.

But Bush has a cute weapon of mass distraction and he's not hiding it: Barney, the dog Bush refers to as "the son I never had." Yup, Barney has been called up for active duty. The White House has launched a Web site devoted to the daily antics of the Scottish terrier.(://www.whitehouse.gov/barney/)

Giving Barney his own Internet territory makes political sense. Previous Barney Web videos have attracted millions of visitors and created the impression that George W.'s pet politics are above reproach. The guy hunts terrorists, but cuddles with a terrierist. To voters, a candidate's decency toward animals can be important. Presidents and their dogs go back a long way.

Ronnie Elmore, associate dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University, puts the issue of presidential pets in perspective: "I think animals have affected national history and politics," Elmore told USA Today. "Presidents have used their pets sometimes to create situations that were more favorable for them." Some might argue that our pets shouldn't be exploited for political gain, but, hey, we should remember the old rule about dogs -- they lap up attention however they can.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Scotch terrier, Fala, absorbed criticism from political enemies. Roosevelt was rarely photographed without Fala by his side. After Roosevelt died, the tenaciously devoted terrier is said to have sat vigil on his grave.

John Kerry doesn't have a dog to tote around like a grocery sack the way Bush carries Barney for photo-ops. (See a famous photo of Bush and Barney -- http://www.dogsinthenews.com/issues/0106/articles/010627a.htm).

Kerry's got an image problem. He's stiff with people. So it makes sense he wouldn't loosen up to animals. He claims to have a parakeet and a Shepherd named Cym, but he is never seen with this dog. Perhaps he doesn't want to expose his pet to the rigors of campaigning.

But chilliness toward critters is a political liability. In the early 20th Century, a candidate named Herbert Hoover was perceived as distant and out-of-touch. After he started traveling on the trail with King Tut, a German Shepherd, Hoover was elected. Coincidence? Or deft playing of the political pet card?

Not that he's asked Dog Lady, but she advises John Kerry to blunt the Barney impact and be seen on cable news cuddling a hound -- either his own or a shelter dog. Imagine the starchy blue-blood candidate mixing it up with a mutt. One picture of Kerry with his arm around a furry constituent might be worth a thousand woofs to tenderize his image.

(For more on political dogs, see "Political Animals" in "Best Of Show." Other Barney Bush links are in "Favorite Sites")

Posted by Dog Lady at May 14, 2004 03:35 PM