Dear George,

Even more embarrassing for Virginia and the lawmakers who proposed the underwear ban is the fact that the story about it in the Brussels-based newspaper le Soir didn't even appear in one of the main sections of the newspaper. The story was featured in the teen section as a quirky factoid and was accompanied by a photo of a female rear clad in Levi's and a thong blatantly visible above the jeans.

It was well synchronized for Bush's visit to Brussels this week.

Joseph Cheek (electronic mail, February 23, 2005)