Troops get death and pay cuts; Bush gobbles barbecue and rakes in contributions: “Not since the days of Marie Antoinette, or at least Nancy Reagan, has there been such a disconnect between the ruling elite and what Marie and Nancy might call the unwashed masses. A potent symbol of this cynical detachment is provided by George W. Bush’s month-long vacation, during which his only forays among the unwashed masses have been to whack his little white balls around a golf course — and to host a ‘down-home’ barbecue to shake down rich donors for another run at the White House. The cover charge for barbecue with the Bushes? Each of the 350 ‘very special guests’ paid $50,000 to nibble on those Republican pig and cow carcasses.” Hartford Advocate