Conservatives Irked Over Bush-Clinton Lovefest

President Bush certainly didn't score any points with his conservative base on Monday when he praised Bill Clinton to the hilt during the unveiling of the impeached president's White House portrait.

"President Bush was more laudatory and more passionate about Bill Clinton than he was about President Reagan [during Friday's memorial service]," contended nationally syndicated radio host Michael Savage Monday night.

When Bush spoke about Reagan, said Savage, "we got empty homilies. We got less than empty homilies - we got a Mr. Rogers job."

But at the Clinton portrait ceremony, Savage said, "Today we actually got a passionate President Bush. He was almost animated to be around Bill Clinton. The guy looked happy."

Though the Bush-Clinton lovefest left many of the president's fans fuming, Mr. Clinton's obvious enjoyment of Bush's kind words also raised eyebrows inside Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign, which only 24 hours earlier had been assured that Clinton would come out swinging this week against the White House.

"Maybe [Bush and Clinton] have a mutual interest in a Democrat not winning this November," said MSNBC host Chris Matthews, noting that a Kerry loss would pave the way for Mrs. Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign.

Editor's note: