Really, W?

Ya had to disqualify Ms. Rowling on the basis that her books "encouraged witchcraft"? Really?

from the Guardian:

A memoir by George W Bush's former speechwriter claims that Bush administration officials objected to giving JK Rowling a presidential medal of freedom on the grounds that her Harry Potter books "encouraged witchcraft".

According to the liberal American blog Think Progress, Matt Latimer's Speech-Less: Tales of a White House Survivor reveals how politicised the medal, which is America's highest civilian honour, became during the Bush administration.

Latimer, whose memoir was published last week by Crown in the US, says that the "narrow thinking" of "people in the White House" led them "to actually object to giving the author JK Rowling a presidential medal because the Harry Potter books encouraged witchcraft".

Ok, let's take a quick look at this, shall we? According to Wikipedia, "The Presidential Medal of Freedom is a decoration bestowed by the President of the United States and is, along with the equivalent Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress, the highest civilian award in the U.S. It recognizes those individuals whom have made "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." The award is not limited to U.S. citizens and, while it is a civilian award, it can also be awarded to military personnel and worn on the uniform."

Past winners of the Medal of Freedom include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Harper Lee, Pope John Paul II, Muhammahd Ali, Nelson Mandela, Simon Wiesenthal, Marian Wright Edelman, Colin Powell, Thurgood Marshall, and many many more.

And while I'll admit that Ms. Rowling's books are entertaining, wouldn't it be easier to dismiss her simply by saying "Look at that list. Does her name really belong among those others?"

But no, W. and his administration had to show not only their true colors but their true... ok, i'm not really sure WHAT word to use here, because while "idiocy" seems harsh it also seems fitting... by labelling her stories as "encouraging witchcraft"?!?!

Of course, since he'd already awarded the medal to Doris Day, perhaps his advisers felt the "One of these names is not like the others" defense was already kind of invalid...