2 TO 1, RIGHT?

Today, President Bush fell off his bike.

So that's one bike for Kerry, compared to one bike and one Segway for Bush. And a pretzel. Wonder who's winning the klutz primary there...

Anyway, after Bush tumbled, a number of people made the same joke, humorously linking it to Bush's recent speech to Republican lawmakers on Iraq, saying that "Iraqis were ready to take the training wheels off" and begin self-governing.

According to Drudge (always a suspect 3-word phrase), Kerry made a similar joke.

President fell off bike today... Kerry told reporters in front of cameras, 'Did the training wheels fall off?'... Reporters are debating whether to treat it is as on or off the record... Developing...

Note that Drudge does not provide the context of Kerry's alleged joke. Without said context, those who read it but didn't hear about Bush's GOP pep talk would think that Kerry was impugning Bush's intelligence, motor skills, or something along those lines.

Bush made a speech which involved a bicycle metaphor, and the next day he had a bike accident. How could anybody, let alone John Kerry, pass that one up?

Tom Maguire, along those lines, says:

That might have provided the inspiration for Kerry's attempt at humor; I suspect that will be the explanation, anyway.

Incoming message from the Kerry camp: Duh.

Also from Tom's post, he provides a link to some context regarding Bush's bike-riding:

Bush has been bicycling more since a painful right knee late last year forced him to cut back on his usual jogging. The Secret Service recently refurbished its fleet of mountain bikes at the ranch.

Excuse me, "fleet"? Does he zip around the ranch in a bicycle motorcade? Eh, maybe I should just give him a break. At least it associates him with a zero-emission vehicle.