Good thing Jenna Bush was with the President for this pic. . .

DRUDGE REPORT is trumpeting Jenna Bush’s contributions toward the Bush campaign effort. But I guarentee that every Photoshopper on the left would have loved to have taken that pic of President Bush and Hiter-ize it.

Stick to nod-and-smile, Mr. President! Or when all else fails, start warmly embracing your running mate over, and over, and over, and over. . .

The two Johns lock eyes frequently in deep contact and stop barely short of demonstrating what great kissers they may be. Monsieur Kerry might yet give us a demonstration of French kissing but, if he does, Mr. Edwards, a good ol’ Carolina boy after all, will be entitled to slap his face. (Secret Service bodyguards, take note.)

Over the past two days, since Monsieur Kerry introduced his running mate at his wife’s estate near Pittsburgh, “candidate handling,” in the description of the Drudge Report, “has become the top buzz on the trail.”

“I’ve been covering Washington and politics for 30 years [said one wire-service photographer]. I can say I’ve never seen this much touching between two men, publicly.” Indeed, editors determined to preserve the appearance of a little presidential dignity and campaign decorum on “the trail” are frustrated in their search for photographs suitable for a respectable mainstream newspaper. The photographers, keen competitors for the most startling shot of the day, naturally love it.

For readers of the Drudge report, this has been going on for some time (note the “Kerry Choose a Mate” long before Edwards VP nomination was announced). Sounds like a bit of baiting to me, but you have to admit that the Kerry/Edwards campaign certainly have done little to end the touchy-feely pics. Perhaps in an effort to win gay votes? Who knows?