Double standards?

Oh my! It seems that W had a wondering eye down in South Africa as well, and Laura Bush certainly doesn't look pleased.

According to the New York Daily News it was a long ride home. Poor W, if he thinks that dealing with Osama bin Laden was tough, just wait until Laura cuts off his *&%#@ supply.

But still, there is something deeper going on here. Remember the brouhaha over the looks Michelle Obama gave the president? Well you will get none of that with this former First Lady. You see, in America, black women are viewed differently than white women when it comes to how they comport themselves.   

Michelle was seen as angry. Laura is just being solemn and respecting the occasion. (This is actually what the current First Lady was doing)

I will write here what Roxanne Gray had to say about the subject.

"More than anything, the response to these latest images of Michelle Obama speaks volumes about the expectations placed on black women in the public eye and how a black women’s default emotional state is perceived as angry. The black woman is ever at the ready to aggressively defend her territory. She is making her disapproval known. She never gets to simply be.

Maybe the first lady is irritated with her husband or someone else, maybe she’s indifferent, maybe she’s thinking about the long plane ride home, maybe, just maybe, she’s recalling Nelson Mandela’s life and legacy. We will never know.
Meanwhile, the Internet is speculating about Michelle Obama’s mind-set, her motivations and the state of her marriage because if a married black man, always on the prowl even if he is the commander in chief, is seen smiling next to an attractive white woman, well, that’s curtains for the marriage. The white she-devil strikes again! The first lady can’t win. Last month, Michelle Obama was a “feminist nightmare.” Today she is angry and on the verge of losing her marriage. We can only imagine what tomorrow will bring.

And of course, there is another image that simply isn’t being shared with the same frequency or enthusiasm—one of Michelle Obama sitting with her husband and the Danish prime minister laughing and smiling openly. We are selective in what we choose to see. This image is being ignored because it doesn’t fit the narrative we want. There is also animage, shared by Goldie Taylor, of Laura Bush looking unamused while her husband speaks to a beautiful woman in the row behind them. Is she disapproving? Is she worried about her marriage? Is she “having none of it”? Or is she just sitting?" [Source]

She was just sitting. But then she isn't a black female. She can get away with "just sitting".

Seriously, how many people saw the second picture I have with this post? Michelle Obama looks very comfortable with her man to me.

Finally, it's really a shame that the memorial service of one of the world's great icons is being reduced to talks of a handshake, husbands behaving badly, and a fraudulent sign language interpreter.

Reporters and cable news outlets in this country have done their part to diminish and cheapen the event. But that's alright. We have come to expect this type of behavior from the modern day version of the fourth estate. They just have no clue.  

One day (maybe after this president is gone) they may get back to being real journalists again.

I, for one, will not be holding my breath.    

Pics from The New York Daily News.