In case you somehow got the idea that George W. believes in fair play at any level . . .

Here's a letter from the New York Times Book Review for 12/4/05. What's interesting is not just that the little scumbag broke this fundamental rule of rugby so flagrantly, but did it so . . . er, what goes beyond flagrantly? . . . as to leave behind such (photo)graphic evidence for posterity.

A charming little reminder that the little doodybrain has never even paid lip service to "playing by the rules."

Since W's athletic gifts are apparently minimal (which seems to have especially dug into him for the contrast with his father and grandfather), he might have done better to stick to cheerleading, though I suspect his cheerleading career probably trashed the Cheerleaders' Lawbook as well. I wonder who's got those photos.

Here's the letter:

To the Editor:

The review of "The Chosen," by Jerome Karabel (Nov. 6), is accompanied by a photograph of George W. Bush playing rugby at Yale. As a longtime rugby player, I had heard the president had played rugby, and was curious about the type of player he had been. Section 10.4 of the rugby lawbook states: "A player must not tackle (or try to tackle) an opponent above the line of the shoulders. A tackle around the opponent's neck or head is dangerous play." The photo shows the future president clearly violating the law for foul play, and tackling another player by the neck. Although rugby is considered a rough game, the laws on foul play are written to protect someone from unnecessarily getting hurt. Perhaps George W. Bush's experiences at Yale provided the framework for his presidency.

--Tom Rubey, Woodbury, Minn.