I’ve enjoyed a comfortable obscurity with this weblog for over two years…and I will sink back into that obscurity in about a day. But every blogger should have the experience once of being praised and skewered like I’m getting from all sides right now.

For example, “Amanda” writes me:

Hammock Man, you are nothing but a mouthpiece for the Bush regime, this visit was a pre-arranged setup and so????what’s the big deal?? What’d you expect? He has millions of dollars and a world of advice how to conduct himself, especially around gullible in-the-tank- to the murderous Bush regime rubes like yourself.

At least the “official” (yet anonymous) Bush re-election weblog says my blogging was “vivid and enjoyable.”

“DHindle” writes to question my acceptance of the President’s “dominance” play over me by the nickname thing:

I’m sure you are getting way too much email even to read it all.

In case you see this…

I don’t get it.

I don’t understand why you would embrace and applaud G W Bush giving you
an unsolicited nickname.

If he did that to me, I would get up and walk out. I wouldn’t let any
man — president or not — impose a nickname on me. Is this some kind
of boy lockerroom thing? Is it some Southern thing?

As far as I can see it is just Bush using words to assert his dominance
over you. Why do you accept/enjoy that?

Gee, Dwindle, I mean Dhindle, I’m glad you pointed that out. I hadn’t thought about it that way. You know, I am a southerner and maybe that’s why I felt it was okay for the Leader of the Free World to assert his dominance over me.

Speaking of getting skewered, I’ve obviously touched a sore spot with some folks who have suggested I’m an operative of Karl Rove because my company has as a client NFIB and NFIB is, well, you can read it for yourself.

I challenge anyone to go back through two years of my daily blogging to find a pattern of posts that would suggest to anyone that I would be a good Rovian operative. It is no secret what I do and who my clients are and I said in my first post exactly why I was invited.

If this keeps up, however, I’ll gladly volunteer my operative services.

Almost forgot. The Washington Post’s Dan Froomking asks me publicly the following question: “Still unclear, however, is why the White House closed the meeting to journalists. Rex, can you clear that one up for us?” I guess the polite thing to do would be to answer.

I have no idea, Dan. But here’s my guess. The format of the meeting changed a few times leading up to the meeting. I think, and this is just a guess, that the President truly wanted the opportunity to talk with us about some personal things outside the view of journalists. Remember, we were talking about taxes and frankly, I don’t know how honest one would feel discussing the amount of his or her tax refund in a room full of journalists on live TV. I didn’t mind talking about business expensing of computer equipment, but the other individuals were being asked about some personal information that would have been clearly out-of-bounds: estate plans, childcare, personal challenges. It’s one thing to tell the President of the Unitetd States how you used your tax refund. It’s quite another to tell the viewers of CNN.

The Washington Post is reporting that I blogged a private White House meeting. I’ll admit that I didn’t ask permission to blog the event. Didn’t think to. (Okay, what? Don’t ask, don’t tell…that you’re a blogger.) It not’s exactly a secret that I blog stuff all day, every day. And frankly, I can’t imagine anyone at the White House being upset with me for sharing how great a guy the President is and how I support his tax policies. Okay. I promise. Next time I’m invited for a private meeting with the President of the United States, I will ask permission to blog it. Promise. Anytime. I’ll even keep it private if he wants me to.

Usually, when I link to a story I have something snappy to say. I’m somewhat overwhelmed by this story by Rob Johnson of the Tennessean, however. I don’t know what to say. Other than, thanks for extending my 15 minutes of fame another few hours.

[Later: My first read of this story was online. Now that I've seen it in print and realize it is on the front page, I'm, well, even more speechless.]

By the way, thanks also to Laura Faber of the Nashville TV station Fox 17 who interviewed me for a story.

Only one slight clarification, however, on the long, long Tennessean story. The White House, in calling NFIB, was looking for a small business owner…not just someone who would like to meet the president. I know Rob was probably quoting me, but they were definitely looking for someone with a specific experience to share with the president.

A blogger hero of mine, Jeff Jarvis, has given me a nice shout out for my visit with the President post. I must say that I was thinking of Jeff and his moving accounts of how September 11 changed him when I was preparing for the meeting. No lie. Also, I did feel like (and while some of you will get this, non-bloggers will think it ridiculous) I had an obligation to other bloggers to record as much of my personal point-of-view of the experience as I could. I know we all disagree on where we stand on the issues and how we perceive President Bush, but I felt even his detractors would appreciate a blogger-version of the experience.