Weekender 24/7   ‘Idol’ thoughts   (Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
President Bush (center) poses with 9 of the top 10 American Idol
finalists (top row, left to right): Ace Young, winner Taylor
Hicks, Katharine McPhee, Bucky Covington, (bottom row, left to
right), Kellie Pickler, Paris Bennett, Lisa Tucker, Mandisa, and
Chris Daughtry at the White House Friday.  No, the deafening
silence from Weekender 24/7 isn’t the result of a case of
bloggers’ block. I’ve been on vacation.  Something I heard about
today while playing catchup struck me as kinda odd. With the
Middle East falling apart and the news seemingly getting worse
every day, President Bush on Friday welcomed the finalists from
the most recent “American Idol” competition, including winner
Taylor Hicks, to the White House.  The president getting visits
from entertainers and athletes is nothing new, though the photo
of Bush grinning with the “Idol” pretty boys and girls seems
like bad timing. But that’s not what intrigued me.  You’d think
a media-savvy White