Maureen Dowd's Column in today's NYT is titled "Animal House Summit". The subject is President Bush's remarks made in an open-microphone at the G-8 Summit in Russia last week. The President was heard saying "shit" (in connection with what Syria needs to do to stop Hezbollah's rocket attacks on Israel) while chewing his food.

Dowd's last paragraphs are below.

After doing his best to undermine the U.N. and Kofi Annan, W. talked about the secretary general like a fraternity pledge he wanted to send out for more beer or a keg of Diet Coke: "I felt like telling Kofi to get on the phone with Assad and make something happen."

His loosey-goosey confidence that everything could be fixed with a phone call - and not even a phone call made by him, and not even a phone call made to the Iranians, who have more control over Hezbollah - was striking. He seems to have no clue that his own headlong, heedless actions in the Middle East have contributed to the deepening chaos there, and to Iran's growing influence and America's diminished leverage.

Mr. Bush may resent the sophistication required of a president. But when the world is going to hell, he should stop chewing and start thinking.