I get it. Bush could have thrilled his core by trilling a line from some redneck song at a NASCAR event and they’d have been feeling the same way we’re feeling now. They’d have been “Oh man, that was so righteously cool, he really loves Amurrica!” and we’d have been all “Jesus H. Christmas, when will this national embarrassment end!?”
I would hope, for his sake, that Bush could have pulled it off. But even in a flight suit on an aircraft carrier, in front of a banner extolling his supposed accomplishment in front of the only group of American’s under orders to respect him - he didn’t get above 300 milliFonzies.
That depends. If he belted out a decent rendition of Pancho and Lefty, I would think it was pretty cool. He would still have been a national embarrassment, but not for his singing. If on the other hand he went with Blue, well, just embarrassing all the way around. Our current president, OTOH, will force Jimmy Buffett to add a verse to We Learned To Be Cool From You if he keeps it up.
Obama’s hilarious. Like, actually, intentionally hilarious.
And yeah, Bush doesn’t have the panache to pull it off.
Who said coolness is fair?
It’s not and has never been.
I’d be lying if I said Bush singing a country song would make me think “cool cat.” I don’t like Bush and I don’t find most country songs to be particularly cool. And? It’s kind of like accusing people of hypocrisy if they think Angelina Jolie is hot, but not Brad Pitt in drag. It’s all subjective and we can’t help but like what we like. However, despite not liking Bush, I wouldn’t have been embarrassed if he had decided to show his human side. Depending on how genuine the performance had appeared, I might have even said, “Hell, maybe he isn’t that bad of a guy after all.”
Now, if Bush had busted out with some 2pac or Jay-Z, then that would certainly raise an impressed eyebrow. But even then he’d better have some flow. 
Yeah, he actually did bust out with some Jay Z shit, though. A few years ago he made the ‘brush your shoulders off’ motion to demonstrate how he doesn’t let his detracters affect him. And of course, it came of natural and unaffected, just like when he and Michelle fist bump. He just got steeze.
And for a bit of trivia, anytime Jay Z “dust your shoulders off” motion enters discussion, I try to inform people that he actually stole that move from Michael Jackson, who did it in his “You Rock My World” video.
What made it so awesome is that he sang just enough…just enough to make you wonder just how good he might be. I hope he never, ever sings again (at least while he’s in office). It’s good to keep us wondering, and it would be showing off if he did it again.
There’s no way Shrub would have sung Pancho & Lefty (here’s the video featuring the song’s writer, The Late Great Townes Van Zandt). Why would he learn a song about a Mexican & a Commie?
Same reason all those GOP campaigns keep using “Born in the USA” as their themes.
I’d be lying if I said Bush raising a child from the dead would make me think “cool cat” or anything positive. It’d probably send me into a rant about his contribution to overpopulation, and this being Bush would probably unleash the Zombie apocalypse (especially if Halliburton had just launched a Home Bunker division).
Gee, thanks for the link to the video. Too bad I didn’t think to include anything like that in my post. :dubious: 
As for why he would know it, it is a country song sung by Willie Nelson. Them there Texicans love their Willie. They don’t even mind him smoking a little of that mary jane now and then.
He’s credible as a singer, but his comedy act needs work. A LOT of work.
There’s a scene in Lethal Weapon 4 in which Jet Li discovers a sniper’s laser sight centered on his chest. He looks down at it and pretends to brush it off his kimono. It was awesome. Just in case you were wondering.
Fascinating!
Time line for anyone who cares about the history of ‘brush your shoulders off’ (there are commercials before the vids)
Jet Li in Lethal Weapon 4 1998
Michael Jackson You Rock My World 2001.
Jay Z Dirt Off Your Shoulder 2003
Barack Obama Dirt Off Your Shoulder 2008
Al Green-- He was that crazy guy who ran for Senate a couple of years ago, wasn’t he?
Didn’t Al Green invent the internet?
At the beginning of Obama’s political career he attended a stag night (bachelor party) in Wokingham, a boring commuter town near London, where he downed a load of pints and only left when the strippers turned up. That’s not something that a young GWB would have eschewed, of course, but he wouldn’t have left a sprinkling of coolness over the town.
After he’s out of power I hope we can look forward to an Obama Sings Motown album.
I prefer the original video, which I linked. And thanks for the information on “Texicans.” I’ve only lived here since I was 4…
I had forgotten about this thread, yet Rev Al is back on my speaker.
You can be a Tricky Dick and be on Laugh-in, or you can do a song that asks, “How could you not get laid playing this song?”
Obama, getting you laid in 2012.
He’s smart, he sings AND he plays basketball.
To throw another viewpoint in, I’m Irish, and I found that inexplicably and infinitely cool. As someone else said, just enough to keep you wondering if he could do the whole song.
Could someone better versed than me explain his Sandman reference ?