“Please Clap”
By 
Yet there are signs Mr. Bush may still have some work to do to finish in the top tier here. Speaking to a crowd at the Hanover Inn near the Vermont border during his final stop of the day, Mr. Bush finished a fiery riff about protecting the country as commander in chief — “I won’t be out here blowharding, talking a big game without backing it up,” he said — and was met with total silence.
“Please clap,” he said, sounding defeated.
The crowd laughed — and then, finally, clapped.
I’m almost tempted to feel bad for the guy, but then I remember the 2000 African-American voter purge and Terri Schiavo. So, you know, cue Nelson Muntz.