So Bush dodges the question about whether he thinks the war in Iraq is a portent of Armaggedon - obviously. But here's what got me: what was he doing claiming he'd never heard of the idea before? "This is the first I've heard of it, by the way," he said. (Or, to quote accurately: "First I've heard of it, by the way." Not so big on the predicates.)

What kind of nonsense is that? This guy has Richard Land's number on speed dial. It's one thing for him to claim he doesn't believe the war in Iraq is a sign of the End Times. (Though in fact, he didn't claim that.) But it's ludicrous for him to claim he's never heard of the notion - as ludicrous as it would be for him to claim not to have heard of Intelligent Design, or of the idea that cutting taxes increases revenues, or of the University of Texas Longhorns. This idea is a mainstay of his political base. Who on earth is going to believe that he's never heard of it? Doesn't the religious right get outraged at this kind of transparently false repudiation? It's bad enough to be left at the altar, but when your fiance claims he never even met you...!

This ought to be George W. Bush's "I didn't inhale" moment - a moment of transparent evasion and pandering to the center that fools no one. "First I've heard of it, by the way"; it's the leitmotif of the guy's whole existence.