KENNEBUNKPORT, ME—Before a packed press conference, former President George Bush announced Monday that he will soon begin a full withdrawal from the region of the Bush home known as the “den.”
“My prime objective here in the den—the watching of the television program Murder, She Wrote—is now complete,” said Bush, speaking from a podium near the coffee table by his couch. “I intend to withdraw from that zone of relaxation within two, possibly three minutes.”
“As for future plans, according to reports from my grumbling stomach, I am now hungry,” Bush continued. “The time has come for me to prepare, then eat, a sandwich. My advisors and I feel confident that this task will be best accomplished in the kitchen region.”
Despite his pullout, Bush stressed that he will maintain a strong presence within the den in the form of his cardigan, which has been left draped over the back of his armchair as “a clear signal that my return to the den at some future point is a possibility that cannot be ignored.”
“However, let us not forget that the television viewing I achieved in the den will become necessary once more tomorrow night at 8, when a brand-new new episode of Home Improvement is on,” Bush said. “As such, there exists a strong need for continued monitoring of the den.”
Bush’s den—a spacious area intended for the perusal of books and magazines; the monitoring of external events via television; and the entertaining of friends and family during special occasions—has long been a crucial region for Bush family members and cleaning staff alike.
“Bordering both the kitchen and the front foyer and providing access to the basement and hall closet, the den is a strategically vital area of the Bush home,” Harvard University political science professor Eric Struck said. “It will likely remain a major player in the first floor’s balance of power for years to come.”
Most analysts reponded to the pull-out with renewed confidence in Bush’s ability to lead not only in his house, but in his garage and backyard as well.
“George Bush has shown that he is ready to take charge,” said Elliot Weld of the Brookings Institute, a noted Washington, DC-based political think tank. “In the coming year we should see major changes to his tool shed, as well as bold restructuring of his tulip garden, including a new row of bulbs by mid-’97.”
Waving to reporters one last time before boarding the 3’x5’ throw rug that would lead him into the next room, Bush said, “I will not forget the den. Let me assure you: My duties within that room remain of paramount priority.”
Bush said that after his peanut butter and jelly sandwich-making mission in the greater kitchen/dining room area was complete, his precise agenda was not clear. His overarching goal, however, would be “the preservation of democracy and tidiness in all areas of the Bush family home.”
Said Bush: “God bless America!”
