From: gwb
To: Hank Blakely
Sent: Wednesday, March 7, 2001
Subject: Walkin' and talkin' and struttin' my stuff

Hey! D'you see the TV coverage of me in the first week at the WH? How about the pictures of me walkin' into the Oval Office? Isn't that a fine walk, even if I do say so myself?
 
You know the secret of my good walkin'? You won't believe it...it's Mickey Mouse! Really, swear to God, it's true. Ever since I was little, I loved the Mickey Mouse Club Show. I remember everythin': Spin and Marty, Jimmy Dodd, Jiminy Cricket, Annette (before she developed, if y'know what I mean). But the best part was the openin', where ol' Mickey would be just struttin' and snappin' his arms back and forth, steppin' high, and wavin' his baton like he was the happiest, proudest mouse in the world. I never felt as good as I did when I'd see him doin' that.
 
I used to practice that walk, too. Wherever we happened to be livin' at the time, I'd be out in the backyard, or wherever, snappin' my arms, and struttin' with my head high, a big ol' smile on my face, just like Mickey. I even used to have a little rhyme to help me keep in step. It went like this:
 
Stride, stride, swing, swing,
That's the rhythm of the thing!
 
'Course, later I slowed it down a little, made it little less...spirited, if y'know what I mean. But it still had a lot of snap to it. A lot of snap to it. The men admired it, and the women just went crazy over it. I think it had a lot to do with my gettin' the Governor's job, too.
 
So that's my secret. Now, whenever you see me walkin' through the Rose Garden or wherever, you'll know it's not just me, it's Mickey, too! And you'll know I'm secretly sayin' my little rhyme, and feelin' happy inside.
 
Stride, stride, swing, swing,
That's the rhythm of the thing!
 
That's all. Take care, now.
 
W,
President of a lot of these United States