Ridiculous

I don't know how it is these guys can read their own quotes without being profoundly embarrassed:

"At this meeting President Bush came off as more comfortable with the message than I've seen him appear on TV or in speeches," wrote Carroll, a journalist and former Navy pilot. "No deer-in-the-headlights stuff here. Truly unwavering and passionate. Facts on the ground notwithstanding, he believes the United States can win the Iraq War. And to be honest, being around him made me believe it at that moment too."

Matthew Burden, a former Army officer who blogs under the name Blackfive, raved about how Bush slapped his hand and called him "brutha."

"The President was very intelligent, razor sharp, warm, focused, emotional (especially about his dad), and genuine," Blackfive wrote. "Even more so than this cynical Chicago Boy expected. I was overwhelmed by the sincerity -- it wasn't staged."

When it was all over, the bloggers seemed wowed. "All in all, it was an amazing day for Military.com and one I'll never forget," Carroll wrote. "In fact, I'd rank the event a close second to the time I sat in with Cheap Trick. It was that good."

Who the hell are these guys? What happened to their dignity? Look, everybody gets a little intimidated by being so close to power, even that "power" is represented in the form a lame-duck, out of touch and hugely unpopular President. But you get the impression that these clowns would be awed by being in presence of so austere a being as President Bush even if he were raving about the guidance he's provided by aliens from planet Xarkon. I promise you that if I'm ever quoted talking about my meeting with the future Democratic President, I will try my best not to sound like the high school geek who just got asked out by the most popular girl in school.

UPDATE: The boys at Sadly, No! provide even more embarrassing details. Honestly, I'm not sure if the President or these bloggers should be more ashamed of this meeting.

UPDATE II: Paul McCleary at the CJR explains that this is why bloggers are nowhere near supplanting actual journalists.