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Towleroad notes that President Bush, taking questions after a speech today at Kansas State University, was asked by an audience member if he had seen Brokeback Mountain. The following is an exact transcript of the exchange (video available at Brad Blog):

Audience member: You're a rancher. A lot of us here in Kansas are ranchers. I just wanted to get your opinion on Brokeback Mountain and if you had seen it yet. (Audience laughter.) You would love it. You should check it out.


Bush: I hadn't seen it. I would be glad to talk about ranchin' but I haven't seen the movie... I've heard about it... I hope you go.. you know.. heh, heh.. I hope you go back to the ranch and the farm is what I was going to say... I hadn't seen it.

No one should be surprised, really, that instead of using the moment to deliver a history-making pronouncement validating the love between gay Americans, the President chose to plead ignorance. But while many pundits would explain this away as merely an astute political maneuver, sources tell us it has more to do with the fact that Bush doesn't want to hurt his favorite movie's Oscar chances by endorsing another film. So taken was the President with Crash's depiction of an America torn apart by racial strife, he has reportedly been championing the Crash bill, which will provide tax incentives to those citizens willing to bridge the color divide by bravely ramming their vehicles into oncoming traffic.