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Thursday, August 24, 2006

The president doesn’t like my suit, Part Deux

By Ken Herman | Thursday, August 24, 2006, 03:05 PM

OK, so we now know that President Bush does not like seersucker suits (see “The president doesn’t like my suit”).

But we also now know that other presidents were fans of Haspel seersucker suits, such as the one that drew a presidential thumbs-down this week.

“For decades Haspel was a choice clothier for celebrities such as Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable and Cary Grant,” Haspel reports on its website. “Presidents such as Calvin Coolidge, Harry Truman and FDR found that Haspel’s poplins, seersuckers and pincores were correct for any occasion.”

After he left the White House, Truman expressed his appreciation for the suits in a letter to Joseph Haspel, then the company’s president. Click on the image below for a larger version.

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Wedding protest

By Ken Herman | Thursday, August 24, 2006, 01:39 PM

Today’s etiquette question:

Is it bad manners to use the wedding of a presidential relative as the centerpiece for a protest against a presidential policy?

No, says Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space. Gagnon, of Brunswick, Maine, is helping organize Saturday’s anti-war rally in Kennebunkport, Maine.

It’s time to coincide with President Bush’s visit to Maine for the wedding of 29-year-old Walker Stapleton to Jennifer Bertocchi. Stapleton is the son of Craig and Dorothy Stapleton. Ms. Stapleton is a cousin to the president’s dad. Craig Stapleton is now a Bush appointee as U.S. ambassador to France.

The wedding is scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday at St. Ann’s Episcopal Church. The Rev. Peter Cheney – unrelated to the veep – told the local Kennebec Journal that somewhere around 300 guests are expected.

Organizers of the Saturday protest expect to draw a larger crowd.

“It is imperative that we speak out loudly and clearly that Bush is not welcome in our state,” said an event invitation.

Gagnon told Cox Newspapers’ Washington Bureau he rejects the notion of giving Bush a break in order to attend a happy family event.

“We have no qualms whatsoever,” he said, noting recent polls showing increasing opposition to the war. “We are speaking for the majority of the people. He is the president and we are the citizens and in a democratic society this is what we are supposed to do. We are supposed to speak out and say how we feel about things.”

Featured speakers will include Deedee Miller, sister of war protester Cindy Sheehan.

Timing a protest to coincide with a wedding is drawing mixed reactions, as gleaned from comments posted on the Kennebec Journal website. Here’s a sampling:

“I would be upset if I was getting married and then all these protesters showed up and took the focus off my wedding and onto their on beliefs. How selfish is this world?”

“I wonder - did the groom have to get military leave to attend his wedding? The best man? Any of the groomsmen? Or was it others who fought for their safety and freedom…. __President Bush claims we’re at war. Has this resonated with any of his extended family, as it has with so many other families???”

“I may not be President Bush’s biggest fan but I do believe that he should be able to attend this wedding with his family. If they feel the need to voice their opinion fine but do it another time. The bride and groom should not be punished this is supposed to be the happiest day of their lives.”

“Being a native of The Kennebunks I honestly think the protesters should be arrested jailed UNDER the jail until this wedding is over!!! How RUDE!! What a shame a family regardless WHO they are cannot enjoy a family day and a FAMILY wedding without some attention grabbing protesters. Some people will do ANYTHING for attention. Ignore them, don’t even talk about them in the newspapers don’t give them ANY attention. Bet they just go away when they realize nobody is watching or hearing or listening to them. It’s ALL about THEM getting the attention instead of the bride and groom.”

“Humm! Isn’t it ironic that Bush can go to Iraq with out anyone knowing but can’t manage a jaunt to K.Port without fanfare.”

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