[CrackMonkey] [gkm@petting-zoo.net: Letter 'W' Goes Missing From White House Keyboards]

[Nick Moffitt]

----- Forwarded message from glen mccready <gkm at petting-zoo.net> -----
Forwarded-by: Angus Durocher <angus at bigstep.net>

Tuesday January 23 11:58 AM ET
Letter 'W' Goes Missing From White House Keyboards 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Call it the strange case of the missing Ws.

President George W. Bush (news - web sites) has lost his middle
initial from many computer keyboards at the Old Executive Office
Building in the White House complex.

In an apparent prank carried out by departing Clinton administration
staffers, Bush aides discovered that dozens of computer keyboards were
missing the ``W'' key.

Bush aides said on Tuesday that the W was marked out in some cases but
often the key had been removed -- and sometimes taped on top of
doorways -- or damaged with the spring broken.

The new team was studying whether any of the keyboards could be
salvaged, but it appeared in many cases they would simply have to be
replaced.

In the West Wing, the computers seemed not to have been vandalized.
``I have my W,'' White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.

Bush made a big deal out of his middle initial during campaign
rallies, often holding up the middle three fingers of his hand to form
a W. He is often popularly referred to as ''Dubya.'' Bush's middle
name is Walker.

He would joke to crowds that if his Democratic presidential rival, Al
Gore (news - web sites), was so smart, why did every Internet address
start with a W. ``And not just one W -- three Ws!'' he would exult.

Bush aides were working to repair or replace the keys. 


----- End forwarded message -----

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